"'• 

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t&rAm\\^ 


BY 

ALEXANDRE    DUMAS 


C  OAfPL  ETE     TRANS  LA  TION 
FROM    THE    LATEST    FRENCH    EDITION 


NEW    YORK 

THOMAS    Y.    CROWELL   &   COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1900, 
BY  THOMAS   Y.  CROWELL  &  CO. 


CONTENTS. 


I.     MONSIEUR  DE  GUISE'S  LATIN       ....  1 

II.     THE  QUEEN  OF  NAVARRE'S  BEDCHAMBER  .  13 

III.  THE  POET-KING 25 

IV.  THE  EVENING   OF  THE   24TH    OF  AUGUST, 

1572 36 

V.     OF  THE  LOUVRE  IN  PARTICULAR,  AND  OF 

VIRTUE  IN  GENERAL 44 

VI.     THE  DEBT  PAID 53 

VII.     THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572,  64 

VIII.     THE  MASSACRE 78 

IX.     THE  MURDERERS 89 

X.     DEATH,  MASS,  OR  THE  BASTILLE      .     .     .  102 
XI.     THE    HAWTHORN    OF    THE    CEMETERY    OF 

THE  INNOCENTS 114 

XII.     MUTUAL  CONFIDENCES 125 

XIII.        HOW  THERE  ARE   KEYS   WHICH    OPEN  DOORS 

THEY    ARE    NOT    MEANT    FOR 132 

XIV.     THE  SECOND  MARRIAGE  NIGHT    ....  142 

XV.     WHAT  WOMAN  WILLS,  GOD  WILLS   .     .     .  150 
XVI.     A  DEAD   ENEMY'S   BODY  ALWAYS    SMELLS 

SWEET 164 

XVII.     MAITRE  AMBROISE  PARE'S  CONFRERE  .     .  176 

XVIII.     THE  GHOSTS 183 

XIX.     THE  ABODE  OF  MA?TRE  RENE,  PERFUMER 

TO  THE  QUEEN  MOTHER 193 

XX.     THE  BLACK  HENS 204 

XXI.     MADAME  DE  SAUVE'S  APARTMENT    .     .     .  210 

XXII.       "SlRE,    YOU    SHALL    BE    KlNG  "        ....  219 

XXIII.  A  NEW  CONVERT 224 

XXIV.  THE    RUE   TIZON   AND   THE   RUE  CLOCHE 

PERCEE 236 

XXV.     THE  CHERRY-COLORED  CLOAK      ....  248 

XXVI.     MARGARITA 257 

XXVII.     THE  HAND  OF  GOD    . 263 

XXVIII.     THE  LETTER  FROM  ROME 268 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIX.     THE  DEPARTURE 274 

XXX.     MAUREVEL 280 

XXXI.     THE  HUNT 284 

XXXII.    FRATERNITY 293 

XXXIII.  THE  GRATITUDE  OF  KING  CHARLES  IX.  .  300 

XXXIV.  MAN  PROPOSES  BUT  GOD  DISPOSES    .     .     .  306 
XXXV.     A  NIGHT  OF  KINGS 316 

XXXVI.     THE  ANAGRAM 324 

XXXVII.  THE  RETURN  TO  THE  LOUVRE      ....  329 

XXXVIII.  THE  GIRDLE  OF  THE  QUEEN  MOTHER  .     .  340 

XXXIX.     PROJECTS  OF  REVENGE 348 

XL.     THE  ATRIDES 362 

XLI.     THE  HOROSCOPE 372 

XLII.     CONFIDENCES 379 

XLIII.     THE  AMBASSADORS 389 

XLIV.     ORESTES  AND  PYLADES 395 

XLV.     ORTHON 404 

XLVI.  THE  INN  OF  LA  BELLE  ETOILE    ....  415 

XL VII.     DE  MOUY  DE  SAINT  PHALE 423 

XLVIII.  Two  HEADS  FOR  ONE  CROWN      ....  430 

XLIX.     THE  TREATISE  ON  HUNTING 441 

L.     HAWKING 448 

LI.     THE  PAVILION  OF  FRA^OIS  1 456 

LII.     THE  EXAMINATION 464 

LIII.     ACTION 473 

LIV.     THE  FOREST  OF  VINCENNES 479 

LV.     THE  FIGURE  OF  WAX 486 

LVI.     THE  INVISIBLE  BUCKLERS 497 

LVII.     THE  JUDGES 503 

LVIII.     THE  TORTURE  OF  THE  BOOT 512 

LIX.     THE  CHAPEL 520 

LX.  THE  PLACE  SAINT  JEAN  EN  GREVE      .     .  525 

LXI.     THE  HEADSMAN'S  TOWER 530 

LXII.     THE  SWEAT  OF  BLOOD 538 

LXIII.  THE    DONJON    OF    THE    PRISON    OF    VIN- 
CENNES    542 

LXIV.     THE  REGENCY 547 

LXV.  THE    KING    is    DEAD  !     LONG    LIVE    THE 

KING! 551 

LXVI.  EPILOGUE  .                                                     .  556 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Drawings  by  Frank   T.   Merrill. 


PAGE 

u  WHAT  DO  YOU  WANT,  SIR?"  SAID  SHE.  (Page  48)  Frontispiece 

UI  DID  NOT  KILL  TOUR  FATHER.  A  CURSE  UPON  YOU " 81 

COCONNAS  AT  THE  GIBBET 170 

"MONSIEUR  DK  LA  MOLE  !  "  EXCLAIMED  A  SWEET  VOICE  FROM 

THE  LITTER 237 

MARIE  UTTERED  A  CRY  AND  FELL  ON  HER  KNEES 325 

11  UNFORTUNATE  MAN!"  SHE  CRIED,  HOLDING  OUT  THE  PAPER  ....  357 
CATHARINE  SEIZED  THE  LETTER  AND  MADE  SURE  THAT  IT  WAS  THE 

ONE  SHE  DESIRED 413 

As  THOUGH  IT  UNDERSTOOD  THE  WORDS,  THE  NOBLE  BIRD  ROSE 

LIKE  AN  ARROW 453 

MARGUERITE  IN  THE  HEADSMAN'S  TOWER 536 


MARGUERITE    DE  VALOIS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

MONSIEUR    DE    GUISE'S    LATIN. 

ON  Monday,  the  18th  of  August,  1572,  there  was  a  splendid 
festival  at  the  Louvre. 

The  ordinarily  gloomy  windows  of  the  ancient  royal  resi- 
dence were  brilliantly  lighted,  and  the  squares  and  streets  ad- 
jacent, usually  so  solitary  after  Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois  had 
struck  the  hour  of  nine,  were  crowded  with  people,  although 
it  was  past  midnight. 

The  vast,  threatening,  eager,  turbulent  throng  resembled,  in 
the  darkness,  a  black  and  tumbling  sea,  each  billow  of  which 
makes  a  roaring  breaker  ;  this  sea,  flowing  through  the  Rue  des 
Fosses  Saint  Germain  and  the  Rue  de  1' Astruce  and  covering  the 
quay,  surged  against  the  base  of  the  walls  of  the  Louvre,  and, 
in  its  refluent  tide,  against  the  Hotel  de  Bourbon,  which  faced 
it  on  the  other  side. 

In  spite  of  the  royal  festival,  and  perhaps  even  because  of 
the  royal  festival,  there  was  something  threatening  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  people,  for  no  doubt  was  felt  that  this  impos- 
ing ceremony  which  called  them  there  as  spectators,  was  only 
the  prelude  to  another  in  which  they  would  participate  a  week 
later  as  invited  guests  and  amuse  themselves  with  all  their 
hearts. 

The  court  was  celebrating  the  marriage  of  Madame  Margue- 
rite de  Valois,  daughter  of  Henry  II.  and  sister  of  King  Charles 
IX.,  with  Henry  de  Bourbon,  King  of  Navarre.  In  truth,  that 
very  morning,  on  a  stage  erected  at  the  entrance  to  Notre- 
Dame,  the  Cardinal  de  Bourbon  had  united  the  young  couple 
with  the  usual  ceremonial  observed  at  the  marriages  of  the 
royal  daughters  of  France. 


2  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

This  marriage  had  astonished  every  one,  and  occasioned 
much  surmise  to  certain  persons  who  saw  clearer  than  others. 
They  found  it  difficult  to  understand  the  union  of  two  parties 
who  hated  each  other  so  thoroughly  as  did,  at  this  moment,  the 
Protestant  party  and  the  Catholic  party ;  and  they  wondered 
how  the  young  Prince  de  Conde  could  forgive  the  Due  d'Anjou, 
the  King's  brother,  for  the  death  of  his  father,  assassinated  at 
Jarnac  by  Montesquieu.  They  asked  how  the  young  Due  de 
Guise  could  pardon  Admiral  de  Coligny  for  the  death  of  his 
father,  assassinated  at  Orleans  by  Poltrot  de  Mere. 

Moreover,  Jeanne  de  Navarre,  the  weak  Antoine  de  Bourbon's 
courageous  wife,  who  had  conducted  her  son  Henry  to  the 
royal  marriage  awaiting  him,  had  died  scarcely  two  months 
before,  and  singular  reports  had  been  spread  abroad  as  to  her 
sudden  death.  It  was  everywhere  whispered,  and  in  some 
places  said  aloud,  that  she  had  discovered  some  terrible  secret ; 
and  that  Catharine  de  Medicis,  fearing  its  disclosure,  had 
poisoned  her  with  perfumed  gloves,  which  had  been  made  by  a 
man  named  Rene,  a  Florentine  deeply  skilled  in  such  matters. 
This  report  was  the  more  widely  spread  and  believed  when, 
after  this  great  queen's  death,  at  her  son's  request,  two  cel- 
ebrated physicians,  one  of  whom  was  the  famous  Ambroise 
Pare,  were  instructed  to  open  and  examine  the  body,  but  not 
the  skull.  As  Jeanne  de  Navarre  had  been  poisoned  by  a  per- 
fume, only  the  brain  could  show  any  trace  of  the  crime  (the 
one  part  excluded  from  dissectiqn).  We  say  crime,  for  no  one 
doubted  that  a  crime  had  been  committed. 

This  was  not  all.  King  Charles  in  particular  had,  with  a  per- 
sistency almost  approaching  obstinacy,  urged  this  marriage, 
which  not  only  reestablished  peace  in  his  kingdom,  but  also 
attracted  to  Paris  the  principal  Huguenots  of  France.  As  the 
two  betrothed  belonged  one  to  the  Catholic  religion  and  the 
other  to  the  reformed  religion,  they  had  been  obliged  to 
obtain  a  dispensation  from  Gregory  XIII.,  who  then  filled 
the  papal  chair.  The  dispensation  was  slow  in  coming,  and 
the  delay  had  caused  the  late  Queen  of  Navarre  great  uneasi- 
ness. She  one  day  expressed  to  Charles  IX.  her  fears  lest  the 
dispensation  should  not  arrive  ;  to  which  the  King  replied : 

"  Have  no  anxiety,  my  dear  aunt.  I  honor  you  more  than 
I  do  the  Pope,  and  I  love  my  sister  more  than  I  fear  him.  I 
am  not  a  Huguenot,  neither  am  I  a  blockhead ;  and  if  the 
Pope  makes  a  fool  of  himself,  I  will  myself  take  Margot  by 


MONSIEUR    DE    GUISE'S    LATIN.  8 

the  hand,  and  have  her  married  to  your  son  in  some  Protestant 
meeting-house ! " 

This  speech  was  soon  spread  from  the  Louvre  through  the 
city,  and,  while  it  greatly  rejoiced  the  Huguenots,  had  given  the 
Catholics  something  to  think  about  ;  they  asked  one  another, 
in  a  whisper,  if  the  King  was  really  betraying  them  or  was 
only  playing  a  comedy  which  some  tine  morning  or  evening 
might  have  an  unexpected  ending. 

Charles  IX. 's  conduct  toward  Admiral  de  Coligny,  who  for 
five  or  six  years  had  been  so  bitterly  opposed  to  the  King, 
appeared  particularly  inexplicable;  after  having  put  on  his 
head  a  price  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  golden  crowns, 
the  King  now  swore  by  him,  called  him  his  father,  and  declared 
openly  that  he  should  in  future  confide  the  conduct  of  the  war 
to  him  alone.  To  such  a  pitch  was  this  carried  that  Catharine 
de  Medicis  herself,  who  until  then  had  controlled  the  young 
prince's  actions,  will,  and  even  desires,  seemed  to  be  growing 
really  uneasy,  and  not  without  reason  ;  for,  in  a  moment  of 
confidence,  Charles  IX.  had  said  to  the  admiral,  in  reference 
to  the  war  in  Flanders, 

"  My  father,  there  is  one  other  thing  against  which  we  must 
be  on  our  guard  —  that  is,  that  the  queen,  my  mother,  who 
likes  to  poke  her  nose  everywhere,  as  you  well  know,  shall  learn 
nothing  of  this  undertaking ;  we  must  keep  it  so  quiet  that  she 
will  not  have  a  suspicion  of  it,  or  being  such  a  mischief-maker 
as  I  know  she  is,  she  would  spoil  all." 

Now,  wise  and  experienced  as  he  was,  Coligny  had  not  been 
able  to  keep  such  an  absolute  secret ;  and,  though  he  had  come 
to  Paris  with  great  suspicions,  and  albeit  at  his  departure  from 
Chatillon  a  peasant  woman  had  thrown  herself  at  his  feet,  cry- 
ing, "  Ah  !  sir,  our  good  master,  do  not  go  to  Paris,  for  if  you 
do,  you  will  die  —  you  and  all  who  are  with  you  !  "  —  these 
suspicions  were  gradually  lulled  in  his  heart,  and  so  it  was  with 
Teligny,  his  son-in-law,  to  whom  the  King  was  especially  kind 
and  attentive,  calling  him  his  brother,  as  he  called  the  admiral 
his  father,  and  addressing  him  with  the  familiar  "  thou,"  as 
he  did  his  best  friends. 

The  Huguenots,  excepting  some  few  morose  and  suspicious 
spirits,  were  therefore  completely  reassured.  The  death  of 
the  Queen  of  Navarre  passed  as  having  been  caused  by 
pleurisy,  and  the  spacious  apartments  of  the  Louvre  were  filled 
with  all  those  gallant  Protestants  to  whom  the  marriage  of 


4  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

their  young  chief,  Henry,  promised  an  unexpected  return  of 
good  fortune.  Admiral  Coligny,  La  Rochefoucault,  the  young 
Prince  de  Conde,  Teligny,  — •  in  short,  all  the  leaders  of  the 
party,  —  were  triumphant  when  they  saw  so  powerful  at  the 
Louvre  and  so  welcome  in  Paris  those  whom,  three  months 
before,  King  Charles  and  Queen  Catharine  would  have  hanged 
on  gibbets  higher  than  those  of  assassins. 

The  Marechal  de  Montmorency  was  the  only  one  who  was 
missing  among  all  his  brothers,  for  no  promise  could  move  him, 
no  specious  appearances  deceive  him,  and  he  remained  secluded 
in  his  chateau  de  1'Isle  Adam,  offering  as  his  excuse  for  not 
appearing  the  grief  which  he  still  felt  for  his  father,  the  Con- 
stable Anne  de  Montmorency,  who  had  been  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Saint  Denis  by  a  pistol-shot  fired  by  Robert  Stuart. 
But  as  this  had  taken  place  more  than  three  years  before,  and 
as  sensitiveness  was  a  virtue  little  practised  at  that  time, 
this  unduly  protracted  mourning  was  interpreted  just  as  people 
cared  to  interpret  it. 

However,  everything  seemed  to  show  that  the  Marechal  de 
Montmorency  was  mistaken.  The  King,  the  Queen,  the  Due 
d'Anjou,  and  the  Due  d'Alengon  did  the  honors  of  the  royal 
festival  with  all  courtesy  and  kindness. 

The  Due  d'Anjou  received  from  the  Huguenots  themselves 
well-deserved  compliments  on  the  two  battles  of  Jarnac  and 
Montcontour,  which  he  had  gained  before  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  more  precocious  in  that  than  either  Caesar  or 
Alexander,  to  whom  they  compared  him,  of  course  placing  the 
conquerors  of  Pharsalia  and  the  Issus  as  inferior  to  the  living 
prince.  The  Due  d'Alengon  looked  on,  with  his  bland,  false 
smile,  while  Queen  Catharine,  radiant  with  joy  and  overflow- 
ing with  honeyed  phrases,  congratulated  Prince  Henry  de 
Conde  on  his  recent  marriage  with  Marie  de  Cleves ;  even  the 
Messieurs  de  Guise  themselves  smiled  on  the  formidable 
enemies  of  their  house,  and  the  Due  de  Mayenne  discoursed 
with  M.  de  Tavannes  and  the  admiral  on  the  impending  war, 
which  was  now  more  than  ever  threatened  against  Philippe  II. 

In  the  midst  of  these  groups  a  young  man  of  about  nineteen 
years  of  age  was  walking  to  and  fro,  his  head  a  little  on  one 
side,  his  ear  open  to  all  that  was  said.  He  had  a  keen  eye, 
black  hair  cut  very  close,  thick  eyebrows,  a  nose  hooked 
like  an  eagle's,  a  sneering  smile,  and  a  growing  mustache  and 
beard.  This  young  man,  who  by  his  reckless  daring  had  first 


MONSIEUR    DE    GUISE'S   LATIN.  5 

attracted  attention  at  the  battle  of  Arnay-le-Duc  and  was  the 
recipient  of  numberless  compliments,  was  the  dearly  beloved 
pupil  of  Coligny  and  the  hero  of  the  day.  Three  months  before 
—  that  is  to  say,  when  his  mother  was  still  living  —  he  was 
called  the  Prince  de  Beam,  now  he  was  called  the  King  of 
Navarre,  afterwards  he  was  known  as  Henry  IV. 

From  time  to  time  a  swift  and  gloomy  cloud  passed  over  his 
brow ;  unquestionably  it  was  at  the  thought  that  scarce  had 
two  months  elapsed  since  his  mother's  death,  and  he,  less  than 
any  one,  doubted  that  she  had  been  poisoned.  But  the  cloud 
was  transitory,  and  disappeared  like  a  fleeting  shadow,  for 
they  who  spoke  to  him,  they  who  congratulated  him,  they  who 
elbowed  him,  were  the  very  ones  who  had  assassinated  the 
brave,  Jeanne  d'Albret. 

Some  paces  distant  from  the  King  of  Navarre,  almost  as 
pensive,  almost  as  gloomy  as  the  king  pretended  to  be  joy- 
ous and  open-hearted,  was  the  young  Due  de  Guise,  con- 
versing with  Teligny.  More  fortunate  than  the  Bearnais,  at 
two-and-twenty  he  had  almost  attained  the  reputation  of  his 
father,  Franqois,  the  great  Due  de  Guise.  He  was  an  elegant 
gentleman,  very  tall,  with  a  noble  and  haughty  look,  and 
gifted  with  that  natural  majesty  which  caused  it  to  be  said 
that  in  comparison  with  him  other  princes  seemed  to  belong 
to  the  people.  Young  as  he  was,  the  Catholics  looked  up  to 
him  as  the  chief  of  their  party,  as  the  Huguenots  saw  theirs 
in  Henry  of  Navarre,  whose  portrait  we  have  just  drawn. 
At  first  he  had  borne  the  title  of  Prince  de  Joinville,  and  at 
the  siege  of  Orleans  had  fought  his  first  battle  under  his 
father,  who  died  in  his  arms,  denouncing  Admiral  Coligny  as 
his  assassin.  The  young  duke  then,  like  Hannibal,  took  a 
solemn  oath  to  avenge  his  father's  death  on  the  admiral  and 
his  family,  and  to  pursue  the  foes  to  his  religion  without 
truce  or  respite,  promising  God  to  be  his  destroying  angel  on 
earth  until  the  last  heretic  should  be  exterminated.  So  with 
deep  astonishment  the  people  saw  this  prince,  usually  so  faith- 
ful to  his  word,  offering  his  hand  to  those  whom  he  had  sworn 
to  hold  as  his  eternal  enemies,  and  talking  familiarly  with  the 
son-in-law  of  the  man  whose  death  he  had  promised  to  his 
dying  father. 

But  as  we  have  said,  this  was  an  evening  of  astonishments. 

Indeed,  an  observer  privileged  to  be  present  at  this  festival, 
endowed  with  the  knowledge  of  the  future  which  is  fortu- 


6  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

nately  hidden  from  men,  and  with  that  power  of  reading  men's 
hearts  which  unfortunately  belongs  only  to  God,  would  have 
certainly  enjoyed  the  strangest  spectacle  to  be  found  in  all 
the  annals  of  the  melancholy  human  comedy. 

But  this  observer  who  was  absent  from  the  inner  courts  of 
the  Louvre  was  to  be  found  in  the  streets  gazing  with  flashing 
eyes  and  breaking  out  into  loud  threats ;  this  observer  was  the 
people,  who,  with  its  marvellous  instinct  made  keener  by  hatred, 
watched  from  afar  the  shadows  of  its  implacable  enemies  and 
translated  the  impressions  they  made  with  as  great  clearness 
as  an  inquisitive  person  can  do  before  the  windows  of  a  her- 
metically sealed  ball-room.  The  music  intoxicates  and  governs 
the  dancers,  but  the  inquisitive  person  sees  only  the  movement 
and  laughs  at  the  puppet  jumping  about  without  reason,  be- 
cause the  inquisitive  person  hears  no  music. 

The  music  that  intoxicated  the  Huguenots  was  the  voice  of 
their  pride. 

The  gleams  which  caught  the  eyes  of  the  Parisians  that 
midnight  were  the  lightning  flashes  of  their  hatred  illuminat- 
ing the  future. 

And  meantime  everything  was  still  festive  within,  and  a 
murmur  softer  and  more  flattering  than  ever  was  at  this  mo- 
ment pervading  the  Louvre,  for  the  youthful  bride,  having 
laid  aside  her  toilet  of  ceremony,  her  long  mantle  and  flow- 
ing veil,  had  just  returned  to  the  ball-room,  accompanied  by 
the  lovely  Duchesse  de  Nevers,  her  most  intimate  friend,  and 
led  by  her  brother,  Charles  IX.,  who  presented  her  to  the 
principal  guests. 

The  bride  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  II.,  was  the  pearl  of 
the  crown  of  France,  was  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS,  whom  in 
his  familiar  tenderness  for  her  King  Charles  IX.  always 
called  "ma  sceur  Margot"  "my  sister  Margot." 

Assuredly  never  was  any  welcome,  however  flattering,  more 
richly  deserved  than  that  which  the  new  Queen  of  Navarre 
was  at  this  moment  receiving.  Marguerite  at  this  period 
was  scarcely  twenty,  and  she  was  already  the  object  of  all  the 
poets'  eulogies,  some  of  whom  compared  her  to  Aurora,  others 
to  Cytherea ;  she  was,  in  truth,  a  beauty  without  rival  in  that 
court  in  which  Catharine  de  Medicis  had  assembled  the  loveli- 
est women  she  could  find,  to  make  of  them  her  sirens. 

Marguerite  had  black  hair  and  a  brilliant  complexion ;  a 
voluptuous  eye,  veiled  by  long  lashes ;  delicate  coral  lips ;  a 


MONSIEUR   DE    GUISE'S    LATIN.  7 

slender  neck ;  a  graceful,  opulent  figure,  and  concealed  in  a 
satin  slipper  a  tiny  foot.  The  French,  who  possessed  her,  were 
proud  to  see  such  a  lovely  flower  flourishing  in  their  soil,  and 
foreigners  who  passed  through  France  returned  home  dazzled 
with  her  beauty  if  they  had  but  seen  her,  and  amazed  at  her 
knowledge  if  they  had  discoursed  with  her ;  for  Marguerite  was 
not  only  the  loveliest,  she  was  also  the  most  erudite  woman  of 
her  time,  and  every  one  was  quoting  the  remark  of  an  Italian 
scholar  who  had  been  presented  to  her,  and  who,  after  having 
conversed  with  her  for  an  hour  in  Italian,  Spanish,  Latin,  and 
Greek,  had  gone  away  saying  : 

"  To  see  the  court  without  seeing  Marguerite  de  Valois  is 
to  see  neither  France  nor  the  court." 

Thus  addresses  to  King  Charles  JX.  and  the  Queen  of 
Navarre  were  not  wanting.  It  is  well  known  that  the  Hugue- 
nots were  great  hands  at  addresses.  Many  allusions  to  the 
past,  many  hints  as  to  the  future,  were  adroitly  slipped  into 
these  harangues ;  but  to  all  such  allusions  and  speeches  the 
King  replied,  with  his  pale  lips  and  artificial  smiles : 

"In  giving  my  sister  Margot  to  Henry  of  Navarre,  I  give 
my  sister  to  all  the  Protestants  of  the  kingdom." 

This  phrase  assured  some  and  made  others  smile,  for  it  had 
really  a  double  sense :  the  one  paternal,  with  which  Charles 
IX.  would  not  load  his  mind;  the  other  insulting  to  the 
bride,  to  her  husband,  and  also  to  him  who  said  it,  for  it  recalled 
some  scandalous  rumors  with  which  the  chroniclers  of  the 
court  had  already  found  means  to  smirch  the  nuptial  robe  of 
Marguerite  de  Valois. 

However,  M.  de  Guise  was  conversing,  as  we  have  said, 
with  Teligny  ;  but  he  did  not  pay  to  the  conversation  such  sus- 
tained attention  but  that  he  turned  away  somewhat,  from  time 
to  time,  to  cast  a  glance  at  the  group  of  ladies,  in  the  centre  of 
whom  glittered  the  Queen  of  Navarre.  When  the  princess's 
eye  thus  met  that  of  the  young  duke,  a  cloud  seemed  to  over- 
spread that  lovely  brow,  around  which  stars  of  diamonds 
formed  a  tremulous  halo,  and  some  agitating  thought  might  be 
divined  in  her  restless  and  impatient  manner. 

The  Princess  Claude,  Marguerite's  eldest  sister,  who  had 
been  for  some  years  married  to  the  Due  de  Lorraine,  had 
observed  this  uneasiness,  and  was  going  up  to  her  to  inquire 
the  cause,  when  all  stood  aside  at  the  approach  of  the  queen 
mother,  who  came  forward,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  the  young 


8  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

Prince  de  Conde,  and  the  princess  was  thus  suddenly  separated 
from  her  sister.  There  was  a  general  movement,  by  which 
the  Due  de  Guise  profited  to  approach  Madame  de  Nevers, 
his  sister-in-law,  and  Marguerite. 

Madame  de  Lorraine,  who  had  not  lost  sight  of  her  sister, 
then  remarked,  instead  of  the  cloud  which  she  had  before 
observed  on  her  forehead,  a  burning  blush  come  into  her 
cheeks.  The  duke  approached  still  nearer,  and  when  he  was 
within  two  steps  of  Marguerite,  she  appeared  rather  to  feel 
than  see  his  presence,  and  turned  round,  making  a  violent 
effort  over  herself  in  order  to  give  her  features  an  appearance 
of  calmness  and  indifference.  The  duke,  then  respectfully 
bowing,  murmured  in  a  low  tone, 

"  Ipse    attuli." 

That  meant :  "  I  have  brought  it,  or  brought  it  myself." 

Marguerite  returned  the  young  duke's  bow,  and  as  she 
straightened  herself,  replied,  in  the  same  tone, 

"  Noctu  pro  more." 

That  meant :  "  To-night,  as  usual." 

These  soft  words,  absorbed  by  the  enormous  collar  which 
the  princess  wore,  as  in  the  bell  of  a  speaking-trumpet,  were 
heard  only  by  the  person  to  whom  they  were  addressed ;  but 
brief  as  had  been  the  conference,  it  doubtless  composed  all 
the  young  couple  had  to  say,  for  after  this  exchange  of  two 
words  for  three,  they  separated,  Marguerite  more  thoughtful 
and  the  duke  with  his  brow  less  clouded  than  when  they  met. 
This  little  scene  took  place  without  the  person  most  interested 
appearing  to  remark  it,  for  the  King  of  Navarre  had  eyes  but 
for  one  lady,  and  she  had  around  her  a  suite  almost  as  numer- 
ous as  that  which  followed  Marguerite  de  Valois.  This  was 
the  beautiful  Madame  de  Sauve. 

Charlotte  de  Beaune  Semblangay,  granddaughter  of  the 
unfortunate  Semblanqay,  and  wife  of  Simon  de  Fizes,  Baron 
de  Sauve,  was  one  of  the  ladies-in-waiting  to  Catharine 
de  Medicis,  and  one  of  the  most  redoubtable  auxiliaries  of 
this  queen,  who  poured  forth  to  her  enemies  love-philtres 
when  she  dared  not  pour  out  Florentine  poison.  Delicately 
fair,  and  by  turns  sparkling  with  vivacity  or  languishing  in 
melancholy,  always  ready  for  love  and  intrigue,  the  two  great 
occupations  which  for  fifty  years  employed  the  court  of  the 
three  succeeding  kings,  — a  woman  in  every  acceptation  of  the 
word  and  in  all  the  charm  of  the  idea,  from  the  blue  eye 


MONSIEUR    DE    GUISE'S    LATIN.  9 

languishing  or  flashing  with  fire  to  the  small  rebellious  feet 
arched  in  their  velvet  slippers,  Madame  de  Sauve  had  already 
for  some  months  taken  complete  possession  of  every  faculty 
of  the  King  of  Navarre,  then  beginning  his  career  as  a  lover 
as  well  as  a  politician ;  thus  it  was  that  Marguerite  de  Valois, 
a  magnificent  and  royal  beauty,  had  not  even  excited  admira- 
tion in  her  husband's  heart ;  and  what  was  more  strange, 
and  astonished  all  the  world,  even  from  a  soul  so  full  of  dark- 
ness and  mystery,  Catharine  de  Medicis,  while  she  prosecuted 
her  project  of  union  between  her  daughter  and  the  King  of 
Navarre,  had  not  ceased  to  favor  almost  openly  his  amour 
with  Madame  de  Sauve.  But  despite  this  powerful  aid,  and 
despite  the  easy  manners  of  the  age,  the  lovely  Charlotte  had 
hitherto  resisted  ;  and  this  resistance,  unheard  of,  incredible, 
unprecedented,  even  more  than  the  beauty  and  wit  of  her  who 
resisted,  had  excited  in  the  heart  of  the  Bearnais  a  passion 
which,  unable  to  satisfy  itself,  had  destroyed  in  the  young 
king's  heart  all  timidity,  pride,  and  even  that  carelessness, 
half  philosophic,  half  indolent,  which  formed  the  basis  of  his 
character. 

Madame  de  Sauve  had  been  only  a  few  minutes  in  the  ball- 
room ;  from  spite  or  grief  she  had  at  first  resolved  on  not 
being  present  at  her  rival's  triumph,  and  under  the  pretext  of 
an  indisposition  had  allowed  her  husband,  who  had  been  for 
five  years  secretary  of  state,  to  go  alone  to  the  Louvre ;  but 
when  Catharine  de  Medicis  saw  the  baron  without  his  wife, 
she  asked  the  cause  that  kept  her  dear  Charlotte  away,  and 
when  she  found  that  the  indisposition  was  but  slight,  she 
wrote  a  few  words  to  her,  which  the  lady  hastened  to  obey. 
Henry,  sad  as  he  had  at  first  been  at  her  absence,  had  yet 
breathed  more  freely  when  he  saw  M.  de  Sauve  enter  alone ; 
but  just  as  he  was  about  to  pay  some  court  to  the  charming 
creature  whom  he  was  condemned,  if  not  to  love,  at  least  to 
treat  as  his  wife,  he  unexpectedly  saw  Madame  de  Sauve  arise 
from  the  farther  end  of  the  gallery.  He  remained  stationary 
on  the  spot,  his  eyes  fastened  on  the  Circe  who  enthralled  him 
as  if  by  magic  chains,  and  instead  of  proceeding  towards  his 
wife,  by  a  movement  of  hesitation  which  betrayed  more  aston- 
ishment than  alarm  he  advanced  to  meet  Madame  de  Sauve. 

The  courtiers,  seeing  the  King  of  Navarre,  whose  inflamma- 
ble heart  they  knew,  approach  the  beautiful  Charlotte,  had 
not  the  courage  to  prevent  their  meeting,  but  drew  aside  com- 


10  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

plaisantly  ;  so  that  at  the  very  moment  when  Marguerite  de 
Valois  and  Monsieur  de  Guise  exchanged  the  few  words  in 
Latin  which  we  have  noted  above,  Henry,  having  approached 
Madame  de  Sauve,  began,  in  very  intelligible  French,  al- 
though with  somewhat  of  a  Gascon  accent,  a  conversation  by 
no  means  so  mysterious. 

"  Ah,  ma  mie  !  "  he  said,  "  you  have,  then,  come  at  the  very 
moment  when  they  assured  me  that  you  were  ill,  and  I  had 
lost  all  hope  of  seeing  you." 

"  Would  your  majesty  perhaps  wish  me  to  believe  that  it 
had  cost  you  something  to  lose  this  hope  ?  "  replied  Madame 
de  Sauve. 

"  By  Heaven  !  I  believe  it ! "  replied  the  Bearnais  ;  "  know 
you  not  that  you  are  my  sun  by  day  and  my  star  by  night  ? 
By  my  faith,  I  was  in  deepest  darkness  till  you  appeared  and 
suddenly  illumined  all." 

"  Then,  monseigneur,  I  serve  you  a  very  ill  turn." 

"  What  do  you.  mean,  ma  mie  ?  "  inquired  Henry. 

"  I  mean  that  he  who  is  master  of  the  handsomest  woman 
in  France  should  only  have  one  desire  —  that  the  light  should 
disappear  and  give  way  to  darkness,  for  happiness  awaits  you 
in  the  darkness." 

"  You  know,  cruel  one,  that  my  happiness  is  in  the  hands  of 
one  woman  only,  and  that  she  laughs  at  poor  Henry." 

"  Oh  !  "  replied  the  baroness,  "  I  believed,  on  the  contrary, 
that  it  was  this  person  who  was  the  sport  and  jest  of  the  King 
of  Navarre."  Henry  was  alarmed  at  this  hostile  attitude, 
and  yet  he  bethought  him  that  it  betrayed  jealous  spite,  and 
that  jealous  spite  is  only  the  mask  of  love. 

"  Indeed,  dear  Charlotte,  you  reproach  me  very  unjustly,  and 
I  do  not  comprehend  how  so  lovely  a  mouth  can  be  so  cruel. 
Do  you  suppose  for  a  moment  that  it  is  I  who  give  myself  in 
marriage  ?  No,  venire,  saint  gris,  it  is  not  I ! " 

"  It  is  I,  perhaps,"  said  the  baroness,  sharply,  —  if  ever  the 
voice  of  the  woman  who  loves  us  and  reproaches  us  for  not 
loving  her  can  seem  sharp. 

"  With  your  lovely  eyes  have  you  not  seen  farther,  baron- 
ess ?  No,  no ;  Henry  of  Navarre  is  not  marrying  Marguerite 
de  Valois." 

"  And  who,  pray,  is  ?  " 

"  Why,  by  Heaven !  it  is  the  reformed  religion  marrying 
the  pope  —  that 's  all." 


MONSIEUR    DE    GUISE'S    LATIN.  11 

"  No,  no,  I  cannot  be  deceived  by  your  jests.  Monseigneur 
loves  Madame  Marguerite.  And  can  I  blame  you  ?  Heaven 
forbid  !  She  is  beautiful  enough  to  be  adored.'' 

Henry  reflected  for  a  moment,  and,  as  he  reflected,  a  mean- 
ing smile  curled  the  corner  of  his  lips. 

"  Baroness,"  said  he,  "  you  seem  to  be  seeking  a  quarrel 
with  me,  but  you  have  no  right  to  do  so.  What  have  you 
done  to  prevent  me  from  marrying  Madame  Marguerite  ? 
Nothing.  On  the  contrary,  you  have  always  driven  me  to 
despair." 

"And  well  for  me  that  I  have,  monseigneur,"  replied 
Madame  de  Sauve. 

"  How  so  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  course,  because  you  are  marrying  another 
woman  !  " 

"  I  marry  her  because  you  love  me  not." 

"  If  I  had  loved  you,  sire,  I  must  have  died  in  an  hour." 

"  In  an  hour  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  And  of  what  death 
would  you  have  died  ?  " 

"Of  jealousy  !  —  for  in  an  hour  the  Queen  of  Navarre  will 
send  away  her  women,  and  your  majesty  your  gentlemen." 

"  Is  that  really  the  thought  that  is  uppermost  in  your  mind, 
ma  mie  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  say  so.  I  only  say,  that  if  I  loved  you  it  would 
be  uppermost  in  my  mind  most  tormentingly." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Henry,  at  the  height  of  joy  on  hearing 
this  confession,  the  first  which  she  had  made  to  him,  "  suppose 
the  King  of  Navarre  should  not  send  away  his  gentlemen 
this  evening  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  looking  at  the  king  with 
astonishment  for  once  unfeigned,  "  you  say  things  impossible 
and  incredible." 

"  What  must  I  do  to  make  you  believe  them  ?  " 

"  Give  me  a  proof  —  and  that  proof  you  cannot  give  me." 

"  Yes,  baroness,  yes  !  By  Saint  Henry,  I  will  give  it  you  !  " 
exclaimed  the  king,  gazing  at  the  young  woman  with  eyes  hot 
with  love. 

"  Oh,  your  majesty  !  "  exclaimed  the  lovely  Charlotte  in  an 
undertone  and  with  downcast  eyes,  "  I  do  not  understand  —  No ! 
no,  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  turn  your  back  on  the  happiness 
awaiting  you." 

"  There   are   four    Henrys    in    this    room,    my   adorable ! " 


12  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

replied  the  king,  "  Henry  de  France,  Henry  de  Conde,  Henry 
de  Guise,  but  there  is  only  one  Henry  of  Navarre." 
«  Well  ?  " 
"  Well ;  if  this  Henry  of  Navarre  is  with  you  all  night " 

«  All  night !  " 

"  Yes  ;  will  that  be  a  certain  proof  to  you  that  he  is  not  with 
any  other  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  if  you  do  that,  sire,"  cried  Madame  Sauve. 

"  On  the  honor  of  a  gentleman  I  will  do  it ! " 

Madame  de  Sauve  raised  her  great  eyes  dewy  with  volup- 
tuous promises  and  looked  at  the  king,  whose  heart  was  filled 
with  an  intoxicating  joy. 

"  And  then,"  said  Henry,  "  what  will  you  say  ?  " 

"I  will  say,"  replied  Charlotte,  "that  your  majesty  really 
loves  me." 

"  Venire  saint  gris  !  then  you  shall  say  it,  baroness,  for  it  is 
true." 

"  But  how  can  you  manage  it  ? "  murmured  Madame  de 
Sauve. 

"  Oh  !  by  Heaven !  baroness,  have  you  not  about  you  some 
waiting-woman,  some  girl  whom  you  can  trust  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Dariole  is  so  devoted  to  me  that  she  would  let  herself 
be  cut  in  pieces  for  me ;  she  is  a  real  treasure." 

"  By  Heaven  !  then  say  to  her  that  I  will  make  her  fortune 
when  I  am  King  of  France,  as  the  astrologers  prophesy." 

Charlotte  smiled,  for  even  at  this  period  the  Gascon  reputa- 
tion of  the  Bearnais  was  already  established  with  respect  to 
his  promises. 

"  Well,  then,  what  do  you  want  Dariole  to  do  ?  " 

"  Little  for  her,  a  great  deal  for  me.  Your  apartment  is 
over  mine  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Let  her  wait  behind  the  door.  I  will  knock  gently  three 
times ;  she  will  open  the  door,  and  you  will  have  the  proof 
that  I  have  promised  you." 

Madame  de  Sauve  kept  silence  for  several  seconds,  and  then, 
as  if  she  had  looked  around  her  to  observe  if  she  were  over- 
heard, she  fastened  her  gaze  for  a  moment  on  the  group  clus- 
tering around  the  queen  mother ;  brief  as  the  moment  was,  it 
was  sufficient  for  Catharine  and  her  lady-in-waiting  to  ex- 
change a  look. 

"  Oh,  if  I  were  inclined,"   said  Madame  de   Suave,  with  a 


THE   QUEEN   OF  NAVARRE'S  BEDCHAMBER.        13 

siren's  accent  that  would  have  melted  the  wax  in  Ulysses'  ears, 
"  if  I  were  inclined  to  make  your  majesty  tell  a  falsehood  " 

"  Ma  mie,  try  " 

"Ah,  mafoif    I  confess  I  am  tempted  to  do  so." 

"  Give  in  !  Women  are  never  so  strong  as  after  they  are 
defeated." 

"  Sire,  I  hold  you  to  your  promise  for  Dariole  when  you 
shall  be  King  of  France." 

Henry  uttered  an  exclamation  of  joy. 

At  the  precise  moment  when  this  cry  escaped  the  lips  of  the 
Bearnais,  the  Queen  of  Navarre  was  replying  to  the  Due  de 
Guise : 

"  Noctu  pro  more  —  to-night  as  usual." 

Then  Henry  turned  away  from  Madame  de  Suave  as  happy  as 
the  Due  de  Guise  had  been  when  he  left  Marguerite  de  Valois. 

An  hour  after  the  double  scene  we  have  just  related,  King 
Charles  and  the  queen  mother  retired  to  their  apartments. 
Almost  immediately  the  rooms  began  to  empty ;  the  galleries 
exhibited  the  bases  of  their  marble  columns.  The  admiral  and 
the  Prince  de  Conde  were  escorted  home  by  four  hundred  Hu- 
guenot gentlemen  through  the  middle  of  the  crowd,  which 
hooted  as  they  passed.  Then  Henry  de  Guise,  with  the  Lor- 
raine gentlemen  and  the  Catholics,  left  in  their  turn,  greeted 
by  cries  of  joy  and  plaudits  of  the  people. 

But  Marguerite  de  Valois,  Henry  de  Navarre,  and  Madame 
de  Sauve  lived  in  the  Louvre. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    QUEEN    OF    NAVABBE's    BEDCHAMBER. 

THE  Due  de  Guise  escorted  his  sister-in-law,  the  Duchess  de 
Nevers,  to  her  hotel  in  the  Rue  du  Chaume,  facing  the  Rue  de 
Brae,  and  after  he  had  put  her  into  the  hands  of  her  women,  he 
went  to  his  own  apartment  to  change  his  dress,  put  on  a  night 
cloak,  and  armed  himself  with  one  of  those  short,  keen  pon- 
iards which  are  called  "  foi  de  gentil/wmme,"  and  were  worn 
without  swords ;  but  as  he  took  it  off  the  table  on  which  it  lay, 
he  perceived  a  small  billet  between  the  blade  and  the  scabbard. 

He  opened  it,  and  read  as  follows : 


14  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

11 1  hope  M.  de  Guise  will  not  return  to  the  Louvre  to-night  ; 
or  if  he  does,  that  he  will  at  least  take  the  precaution  to  arm 
himself  with  a  good  coat  of  mail  and  a  proved  sword." 

"Aha!"  said  the  duke,  addressing  his  valet,  "this  is  a 
singular  warning,  Maitre  Robin.  Now  be  kind  enough  to  tell 
me  who  has  been  here  during  my  absence." 

"  Only  one  person,  monseigneur." 

"Who?" 

"  Monsieur  du  Gast." 

"  Aha !  In  fact,  methinks  I  recognize  the  handwriting.  And 
you  are  sure  that  Du  Gast  came  ?  You  saw  him  ?  " 

"  More  than  that,  monseigneur ;  I  spoke  with  him." 

"  Very  good ;  then  I  will  follow  his  advice  —  my  steel 
jacket  and  my  sword." 

The  valet,  accustomed  to  these  changes  of  costume,  brought 
both.  The  duke  put  on  his  jacket,  which  was  made  of  rings 
of  steel  so  fine  that  it  was  scarcely  thicker  than  velvet;  he 
then  drew  on  over  his  coat  of  mail  his  small  clothes  and  a 
doublet  of  gray  and  silver,  his  favorite  colors,  put  on  a  pair 
of  long  boots  which  reached  to  the  middle  of  his  thighs,  cov- 
ered his  head  with  a  velvet  toque  unadorned  with  feathers 
or  precious  stones,  threw  over  his  shoulders  a  dark-colored 
cloak,  hung  a  dagger  by  his  side,  handed  his  sword  to  a  page, 
the  only  attendant  he  allowed  to  accompany  him,  and  took  the 
way  to  the  Louvre. 

As  he  went  down  the  steps  of  the  hotel,  the  watchman  of 
Saint  Germain  FAuxerrois  had  just  announced  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning. 

Though  the  night  was  far  gone  and  the  streets  at  this  time 
were  very  far  from  safe,  no  accident  befell  the  adventurous 
prince  on  the  way,  and  safe  and  sound  he  approached  the 
colossal  mass  of  the  ancient  Louvre,  all  the  lights  of  which 
had  been  extinguished  one  after  the  other,  so  that  it  rose  por- 
tentous in  its  silence  and  darkness. 

In  front  of  the  royal  chateau  was  a  deep  fosse,  looking  into 
which  were  the  chambers  of  most  of  the  princes  who  inhabited 
the  palace.  Marguerite's  apartment  was  on  the  first  floor. 
But  this  first  floor,  easily  accessible  but  for  the  fosse,  was,  in 
consequence  of  the  depth  to  which  that  was  cut,  thirty  feet 
from  the  bottom  of  the  wall,  and  consequently  out  of  the  reach 
of  robbers  or  lovers  ;  nevertheless  the  Due  de  Guise  approached 
it  without  hesitation. 


THE   QUEEN  OF  NAVARRE'S  BEDCHAMBER.       15 

At  the  same  moment  was  heard  the  noise  of  a  window 
which  opened  on  the  ground  floor.  This  window  was  grated, 
but  a  hand  appeared,  lifted  out  one  of  the  bars  which  had 
been  loosened,  and  dropped  from  it  a  silken  lace. 

"  Is  that  you,  Gillonne  ?  "  said  the  duke,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Yes,  monseigneur,"  replied  a  woman's  voice,  in  a  still 
lower  tone. 

"  And  Marguerite  ?  " 

"  Is  waiting  for  you." 

"  'T  is  well." 

Hereupon  the  duke  made  a  signal  to  his  page,  who,  opening 
his  cloak,  took  out  a  small  rope  ladder.  The  prince  fastened 
one  end  to  the  silk  lace,  and  Gillonne,  drawing  it  up,  tied  it 
securely.  Then  the  prince,  after  having  buckled  his  sword  to 
his  belt,  ascended  without  accident.  When  he  had  entered, 
the  bar  was  replaced  and  the  window  closed,  while  the  page, 
having  seen  his  master  quietly  enter  the  Louvre,  to  the  windows 
of  which  he  had  accompanied  him  twenty  times  in  the  same 
way,  laid  himself  down  in  his  cloak  on  the  grass  of  the  fosse, 
beneath  the  shadow  of  the  wall. 

The  night  was  extremely  dark,  and  large  drops  of  warm  rain 
were  falling  from  the  heavy  clouds  charged  with  electric  fluid. 

The  Due  de  Guise  followed  his  guide,  who  was  no  other 
than  the  daughter  of  Jacques  de  Matignon,  marechal  of 
France.  She  was  the  especial  confidante  of  Marguerite,  who 
kept  no  secret  from  her ;  and  it  was  said  that  among  the 
number  of  mysteries  entrusted  to  her  incorruptible  fidelity, 
there  were  some  so  terrible  as  to  compel  her  to  keep  the  rest. 

There  was  no  light  left  either  in  the  low  rooms  or  in  the 
corridors,  only  from  time  to  time  a  livid  glare  illuminated  the 
dark  apartments  with  a  vivid  flash,  which  as  instantly  dis- 
appeared. 

The  duke,  still  guided  by  his  conductress,  who  held  his  hand, 
reached  a  staircase  built  in  the  thick  wall,  and  opening  by  a 
secret  and  invisible  door  into  the  antechamber  of  Marguerite's 
apartment. 

In  this  antechamber,  which  like  all  the  other  lower  rooms 
was  perfectly  dark,  Gillonne  stopped. 

"  Have  you  brought  what  the  queen  requested  ?  "  she  in- 
quired, in  a  low  voice. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Due  de  Guise  ;  "  but  I  will  give  it  only 
to  her  majesty  in  person." 


16  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Come,  then,  and  do  not  lose  an  instant ! "  said  a  voice 
from  the  darkness,  which  made  the  duke  start,  for  he  recog- 
nized it  as  Marguerite's. 

At  the  same  moment  a  curtain  of  violet  velvet  covered  with 
golden  fleurs-de-lis  was  raised,  and  the  duke  made  out  the  form 
of  the  queen,  who  in  her  impatience  had  come  to  meet  him. 

"  I  am  here,  madame,"  he  then  said ;  and  he  passed  the 
curtain,  which  fell  behind  him.  So  Marguerite  de  Valois  her- 
self now  became  the  prince's  guide,  leading  him  into  the 
room  which,  however,  he  knew  already,  while  Gillonne,  stand- 
ing at  the  door,  had  raised  her  finger  to  her  lips  and  reassured 
her  royal  mistress. 

As  if  she  understood  the  duke's  jealous  apprehensions,  Mar- 
guerite led  him  to  the  bedchamber,  and  there  paused. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  are  you  satisfied,  duke  ?  " 

"  Satisfied,  madame  ?  "  was  the   reply,  "  and  with  what  ?  " 

'"Of  the  proof  I  give  you,"  retorted  Marguerite,  with  a 
slight  tone  of  vexation  in  her  voice,  "  that  I  belong  to  a  man 
who,  on  the  very  night  of  his  marriage,  makes  me  of  such 
small  importance  that  he  does  not  even  come  to  thank  me  for 
the  honor  I  have  done  him,  not  in  selecting,  but  in  accepting 
him  for  my  husband." 

"  Oh !  madame,"  said  the  duke,  sorrowfully,  "  be  assured  he 
will  come  if  you  desire  it." 

"  And  do  you  say  that,  Henry  ?  "  cried  Marguerite  ;  "  you, 
who  better  than  any  know  the  contrary  of  what  you  say  ?  If 
I  had  that  desire,  should  I  have  asked  you  to  come  to  the 
Louvre  ?  " 

"  You  have  asked  me  to  come  to  the  Louvre,  Marguerite, 
because  you  are  anxious  to  destroy  every  vestige  of  our  past, 
and  because  that  past  lives  not  only  in  my  memory,  but  in 
this  silver  casket  which  I  bring  to  you. 

"  Henry,  shall  I  say  one  thing  to  you  ? "  replied  Mar- 
guerite, gazing  earnestly  at  the  duke ;  "  it  is  that  you  are  more 
like  a  schoolboy  than  a  prince.  I  deny  that  I  have  loved  you  ! 
I  desire  to  quench  a  flame  which  will  die,  perhaps,  but  the 
reflection  of  which  will  never  die  !  For  the  loves  of  persons  of 
my  rank  illumine  and  frequently  devour  the  whole  epoch 
contemporary  with  them.  No,  no,  duke ;  you  may  keep  the 
letters  of  your  Marguerite,  and  the  casket  she  has  given  you. 
She  asks  but  one  of  these  letters,  and  that  only  because  it  is 
as  dangerous  for  you  as  for  herself." 


THE   QUEEN  OF  NAVARRE'S  BEDCHAMBER.       17 

"  It  is  all  yours,"  said  the  duke.  "  Take  the  one  that  you 
wish  to  destroy." 

Marguerite  searched  anxiously  in  the  open  casket,  and  with 
a  tremulous  hand  took,  one  after  the  other,  a  dozen  letters, 
only  the  addresses  of  which  she  examined,  as  if  by  merely 
glancing  at  these  she  could  recall  to  her  memory  what  the 
letters  themselves  contained ;  but  after  a  close  scrutiny  she 
looked  at  the  duke,  pale  and  agitated. 

"  Sir,"  she  said,  "  what  I  seek  is  not  here.  Can  you  have 
lost  it,  by  any  accident  ?  for  if  it  should  fall  into  the  hands 
of"- 

"  What  letter  do  you  seek,  madame  ?  " 

"  That  in  which  I  told  you  to  marry  without  delay." 

"  As  an  excuse  for  your  infidelity  ?  " 

Marguerite  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  No  ;  but  to  save  your  life.  The  one  in  which  I  told  you 
that  the  king,  seeing  our  love  and  my  exertions  to  break  off 
your  proposed  marriage  with  the  Infanta  of  Portugal,  had 
sent  for  his  brother,  the  Bastard  of  Angoulgme,  and  said  to 
him,  poin'ting  to  two  swords,  '  With  this  slay  Henry  de  Guise 
tliis  night,  or  with  the  other  I  will  slay  thee  in  the  morning  ' 
that  letter  ?  " 
'  said  the  duke,  drawing  it  from  his  breast. 

Marguerite  almost  snatched  it  from  his  hands,  opened  it 
anxiously,  assured  herself  that  it  was  really  the  one  she  desired, 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  joy,  and  applying  the  lighted  candle 
to  it,  the  flames  instantly  consumed  the  paper;  then,  as  if 
Marguerite  feared  that  her  imprudent  words  might  be  read  in 
the  very  ashes,  she  trampled  them  under  foot. 

During  all  this  the  Due  de  G-uise  had  watched  his  mistress 
attentively. 

"  Well,  Marguerite,"  he  said,  when  she  had  finished,  "  are 
you  satisfied  now  ?  " 

"Yes,  for  now  that  you  have  wedded  the  Princesse  de 
Porcian,  my  brother  will  forgive  me  your  love ;  while  he 
would  never  have  pardoned  me  for  revealing  a  secret  such  as 
that  which  in  my  weakness  for  you  I  had  not  the  strength  to 
conceal  from  you." 

"  True,"  replied  De  Guise,  "  then  you  loved  me." 

"  And  I  love  you  still,  Henry,  as  much  —  more  than  ever  !  " 

«  You  "  — 

"  I  do ;  for  never  more  than  at  this  moment  did  I  need  a 


18  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

sincere  and  devoted  friend.  Queen,  I  have  no  throne  :  wife,  I 
have  no  husband !  " 

The  young  prince  shook  his  head  sorrowfully. 

"  I  tell  you,  I  repeat  to  you,  Henry,  that  my  husband  not  only 
does  not  love  me,  but  hates  —  despises  me ;  besides,  methinks, 
your  presence  in  the  chamber  in  which  he  ought  to  be  is  proof 
enough  of  this  hatred,  this  contempt." 

"  It  is  not  yet  late,  madame,  and  the  King  of  Navarre 
requires  time  to  dismiss  his  gentlemen ;  and  if  he  has  not 
already  come,  it  will  not  be  long  before  he  is  here." 

"  And  I  tell  you,"  cried  Marguerite,  with  increasing  vexa- 
tion, "  I  tell  you  that  he  will  not  come !  " 

"  Madame  !  "  exclaimed  Gillonne,  opening  the  door  and  rais- 
ing the  portiere,  "  the  King  of  Navarre  is  just  leaving  his 
apartment ! " 

"  Oh,  I  knew  he  would  come  !  "  exclaimed  the  Due  de  Guise. 

"  Henry,"  said  Marguerite,  in  a  quick  tone,  and  seizing  the 
duke's  hand,  "  Henry,  you  shall  see  if  I  am  a  woman  of  my 
word,  and  if  what  I  have  once  promised  may  be  relied  on. 
Henry,  enter  that  closet." 

"  Madame,  allow  me  to  go  while  there  is  still  time,  for  re- 
flect that  the  first  mark  of  love  he  bestows  on  you,  I  shall 
leave  the  cabinet,  and  then  woe  to  him  ! " 

"  You  are  mad  !  go  in  —  go  in,  I  say,  and  I  will  be  respon- 
sible for  all." 

And  she  pushed  the  duke  into  the  closet. 

It  was  time.  'The  door  was  scarcely  closed  behind  the 
prince  when  the  King  of  Navarre,  escorted  by  two  pages,  who 
carried  eight  flambeaux  of  yellow  wax  in  two  candelabra,  ap- 
peared, smiling,  on  the  threshold  of  the  chamber. 

Marguerite  concealed  her  nervousness  by  making  a  very  low 
courtesy. 

"  You  are  not  yet  in  bed,  madame,"  observed  the  Bearnais, 
with  his  frank  and  joyous  look.  "  Were  you  by  chance  wait- 
ing for  me  ?  " 

"  No,  sire,"  replied  Marguerite  ;  "  for  yesterday  you  repeated 
to  me  that  you  understood  our  marriage  was  a  political  alliance, 
and  that  you  would  never  thwart  my  wishes." 

"  Assuredly ;  but  that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  confer 
a  little  together.  Gillonne,  close  the  door  and  leave  us." 

Marguerite,  who  was  sitting,  then  rose  and  extended  her 
hand,  as  if  to  desire  the  pages  to  remain. 


THE   QUEEN  OF  NAVARRE'S  BEDCHAMBER.       19 

"Must  I  call  your  women  ?  "  inquired  the  king.  "  I  will  do 
so,  if  such  be  your  desire,  although  I  confess  that  what  I  have 
to  say  to  you  would  make  me  prefer  our  being  alone." 

And  the  King  of  Navarre  advanced  toward  the  closet. 

"No!"  exclaimed  Marguerite,  hastily  going  before  him; 
"  no  —  there  is  no  occasion  for  that ;  I  am  ready  to  hear  you." 

The  Bearnais  had  learned  what  he  desired  to  know  —  he 
threw  a  rapid  and  penetrating  glance  toward  the  cabinet,  as  if, 
in  spite  of  the  portiere  which  hung  before  it,  he  would  force 
bis  way  into  its  darkest  depths,  and  then,  turning  his  looks  to 
his  lovely  wife,  pale  with  terror,  he  said  with  the  utmost  com- 
posure : 

"  In  that  case,  madame,  let  us  confer  for  a  few  moments." 

"  As  your  majesty  pleases,"  said  the  lady,  falling  into,  rather 
than  sitting  upon,  the  seat  which  her  husband  pointed  out  to  her. 

The  Bearnais  placed  himself  beside  her. 

"  Madame,"  he  continued,  "  whatever  many  persons  may 
have  said,  I  think  our  marriage  is  a  good  marriage.  I  stand 
well  with  you  —  you  stand  well  with  me." 

"  But "  —  said  Marguerite,  alarmed. 

"  Consequently,"  observed  the  King  of  Navarre,  seeming  not 
to  notice  Marguerite's  hesitancy,  "  we  ought  to  treat  each  other 
like  good  allies,  since  we  were  to-day  allied  in  the  presence  of 
God.  Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Unquestionably,  sire." 

"  I  know,  madame,  how  great  your  penetration  is ;  I  know 
how  the  ground  at  court  is  intersected  with  dangerous  abysses. 
Now  I  am  young,  and  although  I  never  injured  any  one,  I 
have  a  great  many  enemies.  In  which  camp,  madame,  ought  I 
to  range  her  who  bears  my  name,  and  who  has  vowed  her 
affection  to  me  at  the  foot  of  the  altar  ?  " 

"  Sire,  could  you  think  "  — 

"  I  think  nothing,  madame  ;  I  hope,  and  I  am  anxious  to 
know  that  my  hope  is  well  founded.  It  is  certain  that  our 
marriage  is  merely  a  pretext  or  a  snare." 

Marguerite  started,  for  perchance  the  same  thought  had 
occurred  to  her  own  mind. 

"  Now,  then,  which  of  the  two  ?  "  continued  Henry  of  Na- 
varre. "  The  King  hates  me,  the  Due  d'Anjou  hates  me, 
the  Due  d'Alenqon  hates  me,  Catharine  de  Medicis  hated  my 
mother  too  much  not  to  hate  me." 

"  Oh,  sire,  what  are  you  saying  ?  " 


20  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  The  truth,  madame,"  replied  the  king ;  "  and  in  order  that 
it  may  not  be  supposed  that  I  am  deceived  as  to  Monsieur 
de  Mouy's  assassination  and  the  poisoning  of  my  mother,  I 
wish  that  some  one  were  here  who  could  hear  me." 

"  Oh,  sire,"  replied  Marguerite,  with  an  air  as  calm  and 
smiling  as  she  could  assume,  "  you  know  very  well  that  there 
is  no  person  here  but  you  and  myself." 

"It  is  for  that  very  reason  that  I  thus  give  vent  to  my 
thoughts  ;  this  it  is  that  emboldens  me  to  declare  that  I  am 
not  deceived  by  the  caresses  showered  on  me  by  the  House  of 
France  or  the  House  of  Lorraine." 

"  Sire,  sire !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  Well,  what  is  it,  ma  mie  ?  "  inquired  Henry,  smiling  in  his 
turn. 

"  Why,  sire,  such  remarks  are  very  dangerous." 

"Not  when  we  are  alone,"  observed  the  king.  "I  was 
saying  " 

Marguerite  was  evidently  distressed  ;  she  desired  to  stop 
every  word  the  king  uttered,  but  he  continued,  with  his 
apparent  good  nature : 

"  I  was  telling  you  that  I  was  threatened  on  all  sides : 
threatened  by  the  King,  threatened  .by  the  Due  d'Alenqon, 
threatened  by  the  Due  d'Anjou,  threatened  by  the  queen 
mother,  threatened  by  the  Due  de  Guise,  by  the  Due  de 
Mayenne,  by  the  Cardinal  de  Lorraine  —  threatened,  in  fact, 
by  every  one.  One  feels  that  instinctively,  as  you  know, 
madame.  Well,  against  all  these  threats,  which  must  soon 
become  attacks,  I  can  defend  myself  by  your  aid,  for  you  are 
beloved  by  all  the  persons  who  detest  me." 

"  I  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  Yes,  you,"  replied  Henry,  with  the  utmost  ease  of  man- 
ner ;  "  yes,  you  are  beloved  by  King  Charles,  you  are  beloved  " 
(he  laid  strong  emphasis  on  the  word)  "by  the  Due  d'Alengon, 
you  are  beloved  by  Queen  Catharine,  and  you  are  beloved  by 
the  Due  de  Guise." 

"  Sire  ! "  murmured  Marguerite. 

"  Yes  ;  and  what  is  there  astonishing  in  the  fact  that  every 
one  loves  you  ?  All  I  have  mentioned  are  your  brothers  or 
relatives.  To  love  one's  brothers  and  relatives  is  to  live  ac- 
cording to  God's  heart." 

"  But  what,  then,"  asked  Marguerite,  greatly  overcome, 
"  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 


THE    QUEEN  OF  NAVARRE'S  BEDCHAMBER.       21 

"What  I  have  just  said,  that  if  you  will  be — I  do  not 
mean  my  love  —  but  my  ally,  I  can  brave  everything ;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  you  become  my  enemy,  I  am  lost." 

"  Oh,  your  enemy  !  —  never,  sir !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  And  my  love  —  never  either  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  "  - 

"  And  my  ally  ?  " 

"  Most  decidedly." 

And  Marguerite  turned  round  and  offered  her  hand  to  the 
king. 

Henry  took  it,  kissed  it  gallantly,  and  retaining  it  in  his 
own,  more  from  a  desire  of  investigation  than  from  any  senti- 
ment of  tenderness,  said : 

"  Very  well,  I  believe  you,  madame,  and  accept  the  alli- 
ance. They  married  us  without  our  knowing  each  other  — 
without  our  loving  each  other ;  they  married  us  without  con- 
sulting us — us  whom  they  united.  We  therefore  owe  noth- 
ing to  each  other  as  man  and  wife ;  you  see  that  I  even  go 
beyond  your  wishes  and  confirm  this  evening  what  I  said  to 
you  yesterday  ;  but  we  ally  ourselves  freely  and  without  any 
compulsion.  We  ally  ourselves,  as  two  loyal  hearts  who  owe 
each  other  mutual  protection  should  ally  themselves;  'tis  as 
such  you  understand  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  endeavoring  to  withdraw  her 
hand. 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  the  Bearnais,  with  his  eyes  fastened 
on  the  door  of  the  cabinet,  "  as  the  first  proof  of  a  frank  alli- 
ance is  the  most  perfect  confidence,  I  will  now  relate  to  you, 
madame,  in  all  its  details,  the  plan  I  have  formed  in  order  that 
we  may  victoriously  meet  and  overcome  all  these  enmities." 

"  Sire  "  —  said  Marguerite,  in  spite  of  herself  turning  her 
eyes  toward  the  closet,  whilst  the  Bearnais,  seeing  his  trick 
succeed,  laughed  in  his  sleeve. 

"  This  is  what  I  mean  to  do,"  he  continued,  without  appear- 
ing to  remark  his  young  wife's  nervousness,  "  I  intend  "  — 

"  Sire,"  said  Marguerite,  rising  hastily,  and  seizing  the  king's 
arm,  "  allow  me  a  little  breath  ;  my  emotion  —  the  heat  — 
overpowers  me." 

And,  in  truth,  Marguerite  was  as  pale  and  trembling  as  if 
she  was  about  to  fall  on  the  carpet. 

Henry  went  straight  to  a  window  some  distance  off,  and 
opened  it.  This  window  looked  out  on  the  river. 


22  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Marguerite  followed  him. 

"  Silence,  sire,  —  silence,  for  your  own  sake ! "  she  mur- 
mured. 

"  What,  madame,"  said  the  Bearnais,  with  his  peculiar 
smile,  "  did  you  not  tell  me  we  were  alone  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire ;  but  did  you  not  hear  me  say  that  by  the  aid  of 
a  tube  introduced  into  the  ceiling  or  the  wall  everything  could 
be  heard  ?  " 

"  Well,  madame,  well,"  said  the  Bearnais,  earnestly  and  in 
a  low  voice,  "  it  is  true  you  do  not  love  me,  but  you  are,  at 
least,  honorable." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sire  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  if  you  were  capable  of  betraying  me,  you 
would  have  allowed  me  to  go  on,  as  I  was  betraying  myself. 
You  stopped  me  —  I  now  know  that  some  one  is  concealed 
here  —  that  you  are  an  unfaithful  wife,  but  a  faithful  ally  ; 
and  just  now,  I  confess,  I  have  more  need  of  fidelity  in  poli- 
tics than  in  love." 

"  Sire  !  "  replied  Marguerite,  confused. 

"  Good,  good  ;  we  will  talk  of  this  hereafter,"  said  Henry, 
"  when  we  know  each  other  better." 

Then,  raising  his  voice  —  "  Well,"  he  continued,  "  do  you 
breathe  more  freely  now,  madame  ?  " 

"Yes,  sire, — yes!" 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  Bearnais,  "  I  will  no  longer  intrude 
on  you.  I  owed  you  my  respects,  and  some  advances  toward 
better  acquaintance ;  deign,  then,  to  accept  them,  as  they  are 
offered,  with  all  my  heart.  Good-night,  and  happy  slumbers  ! " 

Marguerite  raised  her  eyes,  shining  with  gratitude,  and 
offered  her  husband  her  hand. 

"  It  is  agreed,"  she  said. 

"  Political  alliance,  frank  and  loyal  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  Frank  and  loyal,"  was  the  reply. 

And  the  Bearnais  went  toward  the  door,  followed  by 
Marguerite's  look  as  if  she  were  fascinated.  Then,  when  the 
curtain  had  fallen  between  them  and  the  bedchamber : 

"  Thanks,  Marguerite,"  he  said,  in  a  quick  low  tone, 
"  thanks  !  You  are  a  true  daughter  of  France.  I  leave  you 
quite  tranquil :  lacking  your  love,  your  friendship  will  not  fail 
me.  I  rely  on  you,  as  you,  on  your  side,  may  rely  on  me. 
Adieu,  madame." 

And  Henry  kissed  his  wife's  hand,  and  pressed  it  gently. 


THE   QUEEN  OF  NAVARRE'S  BEDCHAMBER.       23 

Then  with  a  quick  step  he  returned  to  his  own  apartment, 
saying  to  himself,  in  a  low  voice,  in  the  corridor : 

"  Who  the  devil  is  with  her  ?  Is  it  the  King,  or  the  Due 
d'Anjou,  or  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  or  the  Due  de  Guise  ?  is  it  a 
brother  or  a  lover  ?  is  it  both  ?  I'  faith,  I  am  almost  sorry 
now  I  asked  the  baroness  for  this  rendezvous  ;  but,  as  my  word 
is  pledged,  and  Dariole  is  waiting  for  me  —  no  matter. 
Yet,  venire  saint  gris  !  this  Margot,  as  my  brother-in-law,  King 
Charles,  calls  her,  is  an  adorable  creature." 

And  with  a  step  which  betrayed  a  slight  hesitation,  Henry 
of  Navarre  ascended  the  staircase  which  led  to  Madame  de 
Sauve's  apartments. 

Marguerite  had  followed  him  with  her  eyes  until  he  disap- 
peared. Then  she  returned  to  her  chamber,  and  found  the 
duke  at  the  door  of  the  cabinet.  The  sight  of  him  almost 
touched  her  with  remorse. 

The  duke  was  grave,  and  his  knitted  brow  bespoke  bitter 
reflection. 

"  Marguerite  is  neutral  to-day,"  he  said ;  "  in  a  week  Mar- 
guerite will  be  hostile." 

"  Ah  !  you  have  been  listening  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  What  else  could  I  do  in  the  cabinet  ?  " 

"  And  did  you  find  that  I  behaved  otherwise  than  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  should  behave  ?  " 

"  No ;  but  differently  from  the  way  in  which  the  mistress  of 
the  Due  de  Guise  should  behave." 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  queen,  "  I  may  not  love  my  husband,  but 
no  one  has  the  right  to  require  me  to  betray  him.  Tell  me 
honestly  :  would  you  reveal  the  secrets  of  the  Princesse  de 
Porcian,  your  wife  ?  " 

"Come,  come,  madame,"  answered  the  duke,  shaking  his 
head,  "  this  is  very  well ;  I  see  that  you  do  not  love  me  as  in 
those  days  when  you  disclosed  to  me  the  plot  of  the  King  against 
me  and  my  party." 

"  The  King  was  strong  and  you  were  weak  ;  Henry  is  weak 
and  you  are  strong.  You  see  I  always  play  a  consistent  part." 

"  Only  you  pass  from  one  camp  to  another." 

"  That  was  a  right  I  acquired,  sir,  in  saving  your  life." 

"  Good,  madame  ;  and  as  when  lovers  separate,  they  return 
all  the  gifts  that  have  passed  between  them,  I  will  save  your 
life,  in  my  turn,  if  ever  the  need  arises,  and  we  shall  be 
quits." 


24  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

And  the  duke  bowed  and  left  the  room,  nor  did  Marguerite 
attempt  to  retain  him. 

In  the  antechamber  he  found  Gillonne,  who  guided  him  to 
the  window  on  the  ground  floor,  and  in  the  fosse  he  found  his 
page,  with  whom  he  returned  to  the  Hotel  de  Guise. 

Marguerite,  in  a  dreamy  mood,  went  to  the  opened  window. 

"  What  a  marriage  night ! "  she  murmured  to  herself ;  "  the 
husband  flees  from  me  —  the  lover  forsakes  me  !  " 

At  that  moment,  coming  from  the  Tour  de  Bois,  and  going 
up  toward  the  Moulin  de  la  Monnaie,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
fosse  passed  a  student,  his  hand  on  his  hip,  and  singing : 


"  Tell  me  why,  O  maiden  fair, 
When  I  burn  to  bite  thy  hair, 

And  to  kiss  thy  rosy  lips, 
And  to  touch  thy  lovely  breast, 
Like  a  nun  thou  feign'st  thee  blest 
In  the  cloister's  sad  eclipse? 

"  Who  will  win  the  precious  prize 
Of  thy  brow,  thy  mouth,  thine  eyes  — 

Of  thy  bosom  sweet  —  what  lover? 
Wilt  thou  all  thy  charms  devote 
To  grim  Fluton  when  the  boat 

Charon  rows  shall  take  thee  over  ? 

"  After  thou  hast  sailed  across, 
Loveliest,  thou  wilt  find  but  loss  — 

All  thy  beauty  will  decay. 
When  I  die  and  meet  thee  there 
In  the  shades  I  '11  never  swear 

Thou  wert  once  my  mistress  gay ! 

"  Therefore,  darling,  while  we  live, 
Change  thy  mind  and  tokens  give  — 

Kisses  from  thy  honey  mouth ! 
Else  when  thou  art  like  to  die 
Thou  'It  repent  thy  cruelty, 

Filling  all  my  life  with  drouth !  " 

Marguerite  listened  with  a  melancholy  smile ;  then  when  the 
student's  voice  was  lost  in  the  distance,  she  shut  the  window, 
and  called  Gillonne  to  help  her  to  prepare  for  bed. 


THE    POET-KING.  25 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    POET— KING. 

THE  next  day  and  those  that  followed  were  devoted  to  festi- 
vals, balls,  and  tournaments. 

The  same  amalgamation  continued  to  take  place  between  the 
two  parties.  The  caresses  and  compliments  lavished  were 
enough  to  turn  the  heads  of  the  most  bigoted  Huguenots. 
Pere  Cotton  was  to  be  seen  dining  and  carousing  with  the  Baron 
de  Courtaumer ;  the  Due  de  Guise  went  boating  on  the  Seine 
with  the  Prince  de  Conde.  King  Charles  seemed  to  have 
laid  aside  his  usual  melancholy,  and  could  not  get  enough  of 
the  society  of  his  new  brother-in-law,  Henry.  Moreover,  the 
queen  mother  was  so  gay,  and  so  occupied  with  embroidery, 
ornaments,  and  plumes,  that  she  could  not  sleep. 

The  Huguenots,  to  some  degree  contaminated  by  this  new 
Capua,  began  to  assume  silken  pourpoints,  wear  devices,  and 
parade  before  certain  balconies,  as  if  they  were  Catholics. 

On  every  side  there  was  such  a  reaction  in  favor  of  the 
Protestants  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  court  was  about  to 
become  Protestant;  even  the  admiral,  in  spite  of  his  experi- 
ence, was  deceived,  and  was  so  carried  away  that  one  evening 
he  forgot  for  two  whole  hours  to  chew  on  his  toothpick,  which 
he  always  used  from  two  o'clock,  at  which  time  he  finished  his 
dinner,  until  eight  o'clock  at  night,  when  he  sat  down  to 
supper. 

The  evening  on  which  the  admiral  thus  unaccountably  de- 
viated from  his  usual  habit,  King  Charles  IX.  had  invited 
Henry  of  Navarre  and  the  Due  de  Guise  to  sup  with  him. 
After  the  repast  he  took  them  into  his  chamber,  and  was 
busily  explaining  to  them  the  ingenious  mechanism  of  a  wolf- 
trap  he  had  invented,  when,  interrupting  himself,  — 

"  Isn't  the  admiral  coming  to-night  ?  "  he  asked.  "Who  has 
seen  him  to-day  and  can  tell  me  anything  about  him  ?  " 

"  I  have,"  said  the  King  of  Navarre ;  "  and  if  your  Majesty 
is  anxious  about  his  health,  I  can  reassure  you,  for  I  saw  him 
this  morning  at  six,  and  this  evening  at  seven  o'clock." 

"  Aha !  "  replied  the  King,  whose  eyes  were  instantly  fixed 
with  a  searching  expression  on  his  brother-in-law ;  "  for  a 
new-married  man,  Harry,  you  are  very  early."  .  - 


26  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Yes,  sire,"  answered  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  I  wished  to 
inquire  of  the  admiral,  who  knows  everything,  whether  some 
gentlemen  I  am  expecting  are  on  their  way  hither." 

"  More  gentlemen  !  why,  you  had  eight  hundred  on  the  day 
of  your  wedding,  and  fresh  ones  join  you  every  day.  You  are 
surely  not  going  to  invade  us  ?  "  said  Charles  IX.,  smiling. 

The  Due  de  Guise  frowned. 

"  Sire,"  returned  the  Bearnais,  "  a  war  with  Flanders  is 
spoken  of,  and  I  am  collecting  round  me  all  those  gentlemen 
of  my  country  and  its  neighborhood  whom  I  think  can  be  use- 
ful to  your  Majesty." 

The  duke,  calling  to  mind  the  pretended  project  Henry  had 
mentioned  to  Marguerite  the  day  of  their  marriage,  listened 
still  more  attentively. 

"  Well,  well,"  replied  the  King,  with  his  sinister  smile,  "  the 
more  the  better  ;  let  them  all  come,  Henry.  But  who  are  these 
gentlemen  ?  — brave  ones,  I  trust." 

"  I  know  not,  sire,  if  my  gentlemen  will  ever  equal  those  of 
your  Majesty,  or  the  Due  d'Anjou's,  or  the  Due  de  Guise's,  but 
I  know  that  they  will  do  their  best." 

"  Do  you  expect  many  ?  " 

"  Ten  or  a  dozen  more." 

"  What  are  their  names  ?  " 

"  Sire,  their  names  escape  me,  and  with  the  exception  of  one, 
whom  Teligny  recommended  to  me  as  a  most  accomplished 
gentleman,  and  whose  name  is  De  la  Mole,  I  cannot  tell." 

"  De  la  Mole !  "  exclaimed  the  King,  who  was  deeply  skilled 
in  the  science  of  genealogy  ;  "is  he  not  a  Lerac  de  la  Mole,  a 
Provencal  ?  " 

"  Exactly  so,  sire ;  you  see  I  recruit  even  in  Provence." 

"  And  I,"  added  the  Due  de  Guise,  with  a  sarcastic  smile, 
"  go  even  further  than  his  majesty  the  King  of  Navarre,  for  I 
seek  even  in  Piedmont  all  the  trusty  Catholics  I  can  find." 

"  Catholic  or  Huguenot,"  interrupted  the  King,  "  it  little 
matters  to  me,  so  they  are  brave." 

The  King's  face  while  he  uttered  these  words,  which  thus 
united  Catholics  and  Huguenots  in  his  thoughts,  bore  such  an 
expression  of  indifference  that  the  duke  himself  was  surprised. 

"Your  Majesty  is  occupied  with  the  Flemings,"  said  the 
admiral,  to  whom  Charles  had  some  days  previously  accorded 
the  favor  of  entering  without  being  announced,  and  who  had 
overheard  the  King's  last  words. 


THE    POET-KING.  27 

"  Ah  !  here  is  my  father  the  admiral !  "  cried  Charles,  open- 
ing his  arms.  "  We  were  speaking  of  war,  of  gentlemen,  of 
brave  men  —  and  he  comes.  It  is  like  the  lodestone  which 
attracts  the  iron.  My  brother-in-law  of  Navarre  and  my  cousin 
of  Guise  are  expecting  reinforcements  for  your  army.  That 
was  what  we  were  talking  about." 

"  And  these  reinforcements  are  on  their  way,"  said  the 
admiral. 

"  Have  you  had  news  of  them  ?  "  asked  the  Bearnais. 

"  Yes,  my  son,  and  particularly  of  M.  de  la  Mole  ;  he  was 
at  Orleans  yesterday,  and  will  be  in  Paris  to-morrow  or  the 
day  after." 

"  The  devil  !  You  must  be  a  sorcerer,  admiral,"  said  the 
Due  de  Guise,  "  to  know  what  is  taking  place  at  thirty  or  forty 
leagues'  distance.  I  should  like  to  know  for  a  certainty  what 
happened  or  is  happening  before  Orleans." 

Coligny  remained  unmoved  at  this  savage  onslaught,  which 
evidently  alluded  to  the  death  of  Francois  de  Guise,  the  duke's 
father,  killed  before  Orleans  by  Poltrot  de  Mere,  and  not  with- 
out a  suspicion  that  the  admiral  had  advised  the  crime. 

"  Sir,"  replied  he,  coldly  and  with  dignity,  "  I  am  a  sorcerer 
whenever  I  wish  to  know  anything  positively  that  concerns 
my  own  affairs  or  the  King's.  My  courier  arrived  an  hour  ago 
from  Orleans,  having  travelled,  thanks  to  the  post,  thirty-two 
leagues  in  a  day.  As  M.  de  la  Mole  has  only  his  own  horse, 
he  rides  but  ten  leagues  a  day,  and  will  not  arrive  in  Paris 
before  the  24th.  Here  is  all  my  magic." 

"  Bravo,  my  father,  a  clever  answer !  "  cried  Charles  IX. ; 
"teach  these  young  men  that  wisdom  as  well  as  age  has 
whitened  your  hair  and  beard  ;  so  now  we  will  send  them  to 
talk  of  their  tournaments  and  their  love-affairs  and  you  and  I 
will  stay  and  talk  of  our  wars.  Good  councillors  make  good 
kings,  my  father.  Leave  us,  gentlemen.  I  wish  to  talk  with 
the  admiral." 

The  two  young  men  took  their  departure  ;  the  King  of  Na- 
varre first,  then  the  Due  de  Guise ;  but  outside  the  door  they 
separated,  after  a  formal  salute. 

Coligny  followed  them  with  his  eyes,  not  without  anxiety, 
for  he  never  saw  those  two  personified  hatreds  meet  without 
a  dread  that  some  new  lightning  flash  would  leap  forth. 
Charles  IX.  saw  what  was  passing  in  his  mind,  and,  going  to 
him,  laid  his  hand  on  his  arm : 


28  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Have  no  fear,  my  father  ;  I  am  here  to  preserve  peace  and 
obedience.  I  am  really  a  king,  now  that  my  mother  is  no 
longer  queen,  and  she  is  no  longer  queen  now  that  Coligny  is 
my  father." 

"  Oh,  sire !  "  said  the  admiral,  "  Queen  Catharine  "  — 

"  Is  a  marplot.  Peace  is  impossible  with  her.  These  Italian 
Catholics  are  furious,  and  will  hear  of  nothing  but  extermina- 
tion ;  now,  for  my  part,  I  not  only  wish  to  pacify,  but  I  wish 
to  put  power  into  the  hands  of  those  that  profess  the  reformed 
religion.  The  others  are  too  dissolute,  and  scandalize  me  by 
their  love  affairs  and  their  quarrels.  Shall  I  speak  frankly  to 
you  ?  "  continued  Charles,  redoubling  in  energy.  "  I  mistrust 
every  one  about  me  except  my  new  friends.  I  suspect  Ta- 
vannes's  ambition.  Vieilleville  cares  only  for  good  wine,  and 
would  betray  his  king  for  a  cask  of  Malvoisie  ;  Montmorency 
thinks  only  of  the  chase,  and  spends  all  his  time  among  his 
dogs  and  falcons;  the  Comte  de  Eetz  is  a  Spaniard;  the 
De  Guises  are  Lorraines.  I  think  there  are  no  true  French- 
men in  France,  except  myself,  my  brother-in-law  of  Navarre, 
and  you  ;  but  I  am  chained  to  the  throne,  and  cannot  command 
armies;  it  is  as  much  as  I  can  do  to  hunt  at  my  ease  at  Saint 
Germain  or  Rambouillet.  My  brother-in-law  of  Navarre  is 
too  young  and  too  inexperienced ;  besides,  he  seems  to  me 
exactly  like  his  father  Antoine,  ruined  by  women.  There  is  but 
you,  my  father,  who  can  be  called,  at  the  same  time,  as  brave 
as  Caesar  and  as  wise  as  Plato  ;  so  that  I  scarcely  know  what 
to  do  —  keep  you  near  me,  as  my  adviser,  or  send  you  to  the 
army,  as  its  general.  If  you  act  as  my  counsellor,  who  will  com- 
mand ?  If  you  command,  who  will  be  my  counsellor  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  said  Coligny,  "  we  must  conquer  first,  and  then  take 
counsel  after  the  victory." 

"  That  is  your  advice  —  so  be  it ;  Monday  you  shall  leave 
for  Flanders,  and  I  for  Amboise." 

"  Your  Majesty  leaves  Paris,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  am  weary  of  this  confusion,  and  of  these  f  gtes.  I 
am  not  a  man  of  action  ;  I  am  a  dreamer.  I  was  not  born  to 
be  a  king ;  I  was  born  to  be  a  poet.  You  shall  form  a  council 
which  shall  govern  while  you  are  at  war,  and  provided  my 
mother  is  not  in  it,  all  will  go  well.  I  have  already  sent  word 
to  Ronsard  to  join  me;  and  yonder,  we  two  together,  far  from 
all  tumult,  far  from  the  world,  far  from  evil  men,  under  our 
mighty  trees  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  with  the  murmur  of 


THE    POET-KING.  29 

brooks  in  our  ears,  will  talk  about  divine  things,  the  only 
compensation  which  there  is  in  the  world  for  the  affairs  of 
men.  Wait !  Hear  these  lines  in  which  I  invite  him  to  join 
me ;  I  wrote  them  this  morning." 

Coligny  smiled.  Charles  IX.  rubbed  his  hand  over  his 
brow,  yellow  and  shining  like  ivory,  and  repeated  in  a  kind  of 
sing-song  the  following  couplets : 

"  Ronsard,  I  am  full  sure  t'mt  if  you  see  me  not, 
Your  great  King's  voice  by  you  will  shortly  be  forgot. 
But  as  a  slight  reminder  —  know  I  still  persevere 
In  making  skill  of  poesy  my  sole  endeavor. 
And  that  is  why  I  send  to  you  this  warm  appeal, 
To  fill  your  mind  with  new,  enthusiastic  zeal. 

"  No  longer  then  amuse  yourself  with  home  distractions; 
Past  is  the  time  for  gardening  and  its  attractions. 
Come,  follow  with  your  King,  who  loves  you  most  of  all, 
For  that  the  sweet  strong  verses  from  your  lips  do  fall. 
And  if  Ardoise  shall  not  behold  you  shortly  present, 
A  mighty  quarrel  will  break  out  and  prove  unpleasant !  " 
v 

"  Bravo !  sire,  bravo  ! "  cried  Coligny,  "  I  am  better  versed 
in  matters  of  war  than  in  matters  of  poetry,  but  it  seems  to  me 
that  those  lines  are  equal  to  the  best,  even  written  by  Eonsard, 
or  Dorat,  or  even  Michel  de  1'Hopital,  Chancellor  of  France." 

"Ah!  my  father!"  exclaimed  Charles  IX.;  "would  what 
you  said  were  true !  For  the  title  of  poet,  you  see,  is  what  I 
am  ambitious,  above  all  things,  to  gain ;  and  as  I  said  a  few 
days  ago  to  my  master  in  poetry : 

"  '  The  ait  of  making  verse,  if  one  were  criticised, 
Should  ever  be  above  the  art  of  reigning  prized. 
The  crowns  that  you  and  I  upon  our  brows  are  wearing, 
I  as  the  King  receive,  as  poet  you  are  sharing. 
Your  lofty  soul,  enkindled  by  celestial  beams, 
Flames  of  itself,  while  mine  with  borrowed  glory  gleams. 
If  'mid  the  gods  I  ask  which  has  the  better  showing, 
Ronsard  is  their  delight :  J,  but  their  image  glowing. 
Your  lyre,  which  ravishes  with  sounds  so  sweet  and  bold, 
Subdues  men's  minds,  while  I  their  bodies  only  hold ! 
It  makes  you  master,  lifts  you  into  lofty  regions, 
Where  even  the  haughty  tyrant  ne'er  dared  claim  allegiance.'  " 

"  Sire,"  said  Coligny,  "  I  was  well  aware  that  your  Majesty 
conversed  with  the  Muses,  but  I  did  not  know  that  you  were 
their  chief  counsellor." 

"  After  you,  my  father,  after  you.     And  in  order  that  I  may 


30  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

not  be  disturbed  in  my  relations  with  them,  I  wish  to  put 
you  at  the  head  of  everything.  So  listen :  I  must  now  go  and 
reply  to  a  new  madrigal  my  dear  and  illustrious  poet  has  sent 
me.  I  cannot,  therefore,  give  you  the  documents  necessary  to 
make  you  acquainted  with  the  question  now  debating  between 
Philip  II.  and  myself.  There  is,  besides,  a  plan  of  the  cam- 
paign drawn  up  by  my  ministers.  I  will  find  it  all  for  you, 
and  give  it  to  you  to-morrow." 

"  At  what  time,  sire  ?  " 

"  At  ten  o'clock  ;  and  if  by  chance  I  am  busy  making  verses, 
or  in  my  cabinet  writing,  well  —  you  will  come  in  just  the  same, 
and  take  all  the  papers  which  you  will  find  on  the  table  in 
this  red  portfolio.  The  color  is  remarkable,  and  you  cannot 
mistake  it.  I  am  now  going  to  write  to  Ronsard." 

"  Adieu,  sire  ! " 

"  Adieu,  my  father !  " 

«  Your  hand  ?  " 

"  What,  my  hand  ?  In  my  arms,  in  my  heart,  there  is 
your  place  !  Come,  my  old  soldier,  come  !  " 

And  Charles  IX.,  drawing  Coligny  toward  him  as  he  bowed, 
pressed  his  lips  to  his  white  hair. 

The  admiral  left  the  room,  wiping  away  a  tear. 

Charles  IX.  followed  him  with  his  eyes  as  long  as  he  could  see, 
and  listened  as  long  as  he  could  catch  a  sound ;  then,  when  he 
could  no  longer  hear  or  see  anything,  he  bent  his  head  over 
toward  his  shoulder,  as  his  custom  was,  and  slowly  entered 
his  armory. 

This  armory  was  the  king's  favorite  apartment;  there  he 
took  his  fencing-lessons  with  Pompee,  and  his  poetry  lessons 
with  Ronsard.  He  had  gathered  there  a  great  collection  of  the 
most  costly  weapons  he  had  been  able  to  find.  The  walls  were 
hung  with  axes,  shields,  spears,  halberds,  pistols,  and  muskets, 
and  that  day  a  famous  armorer  had  brought  him  a  magnifi- 
cent arquebuse,  on  the  barrel  of  which  were  inlaid  in  silver 
these  four  lines,  composed  by  the  royal  poet  himself : 

"Pour  maintenir  lafoy, 
Je  suis  belle  etjidele. 
Aux  ennemis  du  Roi, 
Je  suis  belle  et  cruelle." ' 

1 "  To  uphold  the  faith 

I  am  beautiful  and  trusty. 
To  the  king's  enemies 
I  am  beautiful  and  cruel." 


THE    POET-KING.  31 

Charles,  as  we  have  said,  entered  this  room,  and  after  having 
shut  the  door  by  which  he  had  entered,  he  raised  the  tapestry 
that  masked  a  passage  leading  into  a  little  chamber,  where  a 
woman  kneeling  before  a  priedieu  was  saying  her  prayers. 

As  this  movement  was  executed  noiselessly,  and  the  footsteps 
of  the  king,  deadened  by  the  thick  carpet,  made  no  more  noise 
than  a  phantom's,  the  kneeling  woman  heard  110  sound,  and  con- 
tinued to  pray.  Charles  stood  for  a  moment  pensively  looking 
at  her. 

She  was  a  woman  of  thirty -four  or  thirty-five  years  of  age, 
whose  vigorous  beauty  was  set  off  by  the  costume  of  the  pea- 
sants of  Caux.  She  wore  the  high  cap  so  much  the  fashion  at 
the  court  of  France  during  the  time  of  Isabel  of  Bavaria,  and 
her  red  bodice  was  embroidered  with  gold,  like  those  of  the 
contadine  of  Nettuno  and  Sora.  The  apartment  which  she 
had  for  nearly  twenty  years  occupied  was  close  to  the  King's 
bed-chamber  and  presented  a  singular  mixture  of  elegance 
and  rusticity.  In  equal  measure  the  palace  had  encroached 
upon  the  cottage,  and  the  cottage  upon  the  palace,  so  that  the 
room  combined  the  simplicity  of  the  peasant  woman  and  the 
luxury  of  the  court  lady. 

The  priedieu  on  which  she  knelt  was  of  oak,  marvellously 
carved,  covered  with  velvet  and  with  gold  fringes,  while  the 
Bible  from  which  she  was  reading  (for  she  was  of  the  re- 
formed religion )  was  very  old  and  torn,  like  those  found  in 
the  poorest  cottages  ;  now  everything  in  the  room  was  typi- 
fied by  the  priedieu  and  the  Bible. 

"  Eh,  Madelon  ! "  said  the  King. 

The  kneeling  woman  lifted  her  head  smilingly  at  the  well- 
known  voice,  and  rising  from  her  knees,  — 

"  Ah !  it  is  you,  my  son,"  said  she. 

"  Yes,  nurse;  come  here." 

Charles  IX.  let  fall  the  curtain,  and  sat  down  on  the  arm  of 
an  easy-chair.  The  nurse  appeared. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  me,  Chariot  ?  " 

"  Come  near,  and  answer  in  a  low  tone." 

The  nurse  approached  him  with  a  familiarity  such  as  might 
come  from  that  maternal  affection  felt  by  a  woman  for  her 
nursling,  but  attributed  by  the  pamphlets  of  the  time  to  a 
source  infinitely  less  pure. 

"  Here  I  am,"  said  she  ;  "  speak  !  " 

"  Is  the  man  I  sent  for  come  ?  " 


32  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  He  has  been  here  half  an  hour." 

Charles  rose,  approached  the  window,  looked  to  assure  him- 
self there  were  no  eavesdroppers,  went  to  the  door  and  looked 
out  there  also,  shook  the  dust  from  his  trophies  of  arms,  patted 
a  large  greyhound  which  followed  him  wherever  he  went, 
stopping  when  he  stopped  and  moving  when  he  moved,  —  then 
returning  to  his  nurse  : 

"  Very  well,  nurse,  let  him  come  in,"  said  he. 

The  worthy  woman  disappeared  by  the  same  passage  by 
which  she  had  entered,  while  the  king  went  and  leaned  against 
a  table  on  which  were  scattered  arms  of  every  kind. 

Scarcely  had  he  done  so  when  the  portiere  was  again  lifted, 
and  the  person  whom  he  expected  entered. 

He  was  a  man  of  about  forty,  his  eyes  gray  and  false,  his 
nose  curved  like  the  beak  of  a  screech-owl,  his  cheek-bones 
prominent.  His  face  tried  to  look  respectful,  but  all  that  he 
could  do  was  to  wear  a  hypocritical  smile  on  his  lips  blanched 
with  fear. 

Charles  gently  put  his  hand  behind  him,  and  grasped  the 
butt  of  a  pistol  of  a  new  construction,  that  was  discharged,  not 
by  a  match,  as  formerly,  but  by  a  flint  brought  in  contact  with 
a  wheel  of  steel.  He  fixed  his  dull  eyes  steadily  on  the  new- 
comer ;  meantime  he  whistled,  with  perfect  precision  and  with 
remarkable  sweetness,  one  of  his  favorite  hunting-airs. 

After  a  pause  of  some  minutes,  during  which  the  expression 
of  the  stranger's  face  grew  more  and  more  discomposed, 

"  You  are  the  person,"  said  the  King,  "  called  Francois  de 
Louviers  Maurevel  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  Captain  of  petardeers  ?  " 

"Yes,  sire." 

"  I  wanted  to  see  you." 

Maurevel  made  a  low  bow. 

"  You  know,"  continued  Charles,  laying  a  stress  on  each 
word,  "  that  I  love  all  my  subjects  equally  ?  " 

"  I  know,"  stammered  Maurevel,  "  that  your  Majesty  is  the 
father  of  your  people." 

"  And  that  the  Huguenots  and  Catholics  are  equally  my, 
children?" 

Maurevel  remained  silent,  but  his  agitation  was  manifest  to 
the  King's  piercing  eyes,  although  the  person  whom  he  was 
addressing  was  almost  concealed  in  the  darkness. 


THE    POET-KING.  33 

"  Does  this  displease  you,"  said  the  King,  "  you  who  have 
waged  such  a  bitter  war  on  the  Huguenots  ?  " 

Maurevel  fell  on  his  knees. 

"  Sire,"  stammered  he,  "  believe  that " — 

"  I  believe,"  continued  Charles,  looking  more  and  more 
keenly  at  Maurevel,  while  his  eyes,  which  at  first  had  seemed 
like  glass,  now  became  almost  fiery,  "  I  believe  that  you  had 
a  great  desire  at  Moncontour  to  kill  the  admiral,  who  has  just 
left  me ;  I  believe  you  missed  your  aim,  and  that  then  you 
entered  the  army  of  my  brother,  the  Due  d'Anjou ;  I  believe 
that  then  you  went  for  a  second  time  over  to  the  prince's 
and  there  took  service  in  the  company  of  M.  de  Mouy  de  Saint 
Phale"- 

"  Oh,  sire  !  " 

"  A  brave  gentleman  from  Picardy  " — 

"  Sire,  sire  !  "  cried  Maurevel,  "  do  not  overwhelm  me." 

"  He  was  a  brave  officer,"  continued  Charles,  whose  feat- 
ures assumed  an  aspect  of  almost  ferocious  cruelty,  "  who 
received  you  as  if  you  had  been  his  son ;  fed  you,  lodged  you, 
and  clothed  you." 

Maurevel  uttered  a  despairing  sigh. 

"  You  called  him  your  father,  I  believe,"  continued  the  King, 
pitilessly,  "  and  a  tender  friendship  existed  between  you  and 
the  young  De  Mouy,  his  son." 

Maurevel,  still  on  his  knees,  bowed  low,  more  and  more 
crushed  under  the  indignation  of  the  King,  who  stood  immova- 
ble, like  a  statue  whose  lips  only  are  endowed  with  vitality. 

"  By  the  way,"  continued  the  King,  "  M.  de  Guise  was  to 
give  you  ten  thousand  crowns  if  you  killed  the  admiral  —  was 
he  not  ?  " 

The  assassin  in  consternation  struck  his  forehead  against 
the  floor. 

"As  regards  your  worthy  father,  the  Sieur  de  Mouy,  you 
were  one  day  acting  as  his  escort  in  a  reconnaissance  toward 
Chevreux.  He  dropped  his  whip  and  dismounted  to  pick  it  up. 
You  were  alone  with  him  ;  you  took  a  pistol  from  your  holster, 
and  while  he  was  bending  over,  you  shot  him  in  the  back ; 
then  seeing  he  was  dead  —  for  you  killed  him  on  the  spot  — 
you  escaped  on  the  horse  he  had  given  you.  This  is  your 
history,  I  believe  ?  " 

And  as  Maurevel  remained  mute  under  this  accusation, 
every  circumstance  of  which  was  true,  Charles  IX.  began  to 


34  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

whistle  again,  with  the  same  precision  and  melody,  the  same 
hunting-air. 

"  Now,  then,  murderer  ! "  said  he  after  a  little,  "  do  you 
know  I  have  a  great  mind  to  have  you  hanged  ?  " 

"  Oh,  your  Majesty  !"  cried  Maurevel. 

"  Young  De  Mouy  entreated  me  to  do  so  only  yesterday,  and 
I  scarcely  knew  what  answer  to  make  him,  for  his  demand  was 
perfectly  just." 

Maurevel  clasped  his  hands. 

"  All  the  more  just,  because  I  am,  as  you  say,  the  father  of 
my  people;  and  because,  as  I  answered  you,  now  that  I  am 
reconciled  to  the  Huguenots,  they  are  as  much  my  children 
as  the  Catholics." 

"  Sire,"  said  Maurevel,  in  despair,  "  my  life  is  in  your  hands ; 
do  with  it  what  you  will." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  and  I  would  not  give  a  groat  for  it." 

"  But,  sire,"  asked  the  assassin,  "  is  there  no  means  of  re- 
deeming my  crime  ?  " 

"  None  that  I  know  of ;  only  if  I  were  in  your  place  —  but 
thank  God  I  am  not " — 

"  Well,  sire,  if  you  were  in  my  place  ?  "  murmured  Maurevel, 
his  eyes  fixed  on  the  King's  lips. 

"  I  think  I  could  extricate  myself,"  said  the  King. 

Maurevel  raised  himself  on  one  knee  and  one  hand,  fixing 
his  eyes  upon  Charles  to  make  certain  that  he  was  not  jesting. 

"  I  am  very  fond  of  young  De  Mouy,"  said  the  King ;  "  but 
I  am  equally  fond  of  my  cousin  De  Guise ;  and  if  my  cousin 
asked  me  to  spare  a  man  that  the  other  wanted  me  to  hang,  I 
confess  I  should  be  embarrassed ;  but  for  policy  as  well  as  re- 
ligion's sake  I  should  comply  with  my  cousin  De  Guise's  re- 
quest, for  De  Mouy,  brave  captain  though  he  be,  is  but  a  petty 
personage  compared  with  a  prince  of  Lorraine." 

During  these  words,  Maurevel  slowly  rose,  like  a  man  whose 
life  is  saved. 

"  In  your  critical  situation  it  would  be  a  very  important  thing 
to  gain  my  cousin  De  Guise's  favor.  So  I  am  going  to  tell 
you  what  he  said  to  me  last  night." 

Maurevel  drew  nearer. 

" '  Imagine,  sire,'  said  he  to  me,  '  that  every  morning,  at  ten 
o'clock,  my  deadliest  enemy  passes  down  the  Rue  Saint  Ger- 
main PAuxerrois,  on  his  return  from  the  Louvre.  I  see  him 
from  a  barred  window  in  the  room  of  my  old  preceptor,  the 


THE    POET-KING.  35 

Canon  Pierre  Piles,  and  I  pray  the  devil  to  open  the  earth 
and  swallow  him  in  its  abysses.'  Now,  Maitre  Maurevel," 
continued  the  King,  "  perhaps  if  you  were  the  devil,  or  if  for 
an  instant  you  should  take  his  place,  that  would  perhaps  please 
my  cousin  De  Guise." 

Maurevel's  infernal  smile  came  back  to  his  lips,  though  they 
were  still  bloodless  with  terror,  and  he  stammered  out  these 
words : 

"  But,  sire,  I  cannot  make  the  earth  open." 

"  Yet  you  made  it  open  wide  enough  for  the  worthy  De 
Mouy,  if  I  remember  correctly.  After  this  you  will  tell  me 
how  with  a  pistol  —  have  you  not  that  pistol  still  ?  " 

"  Forgive  me,  sire,  I  am  a  still  better  marksman  with  an 
arquebusethan  a  pistol,"  replied  Maurevel,  now  quite  reassured. 

"  Pistol  or  arquebuse  makes  no  difference,"  said  the  King ; 
"  I  am  sure  my  cousin  De  Guise  will  not  cavil  over  the  choice 
of  methods." 

"  But,"  said  Maurevel,  "  I  must  have  a  weapon  I  can  rely 
on,  as,  perhaps,  I  shall  have  to  fire  from  a  long  distance." 

"  I  have  ten  arquebuses  in  this  room,"  replied  Charles  IX., 
"  with  which  I  can  hit  a  crown-piece  at  a  hundred  and  fifty 
paces  —  will  you  try  one  ?  " 

"  Most  willingly,  sire  ! "  cried  Maurevel,  with  the  greatest 
joy,  going  in  the  direction  of  one  which  was  standing  in  a 
corner  of  the  room.  It  was  the  one  which  that  day  had  been 
brought  to  the  King. 

"  No,  not  that  one,"  said  the  King,  "  not  that  one  ;  I  reserve 
that  for  myself.  Some  day  I  am  going  to  have  a  grand  hunt 
and  then  I  hope  to  use  it.  Take  any  other  you  like." 

Maurevel  took  one  down  from  a  trophy. 

"  And  who  is  this  enemy,  sire  ?  "  asked  the  assassin. 

"  How  should  I  know,"  replied  Charles,  withering  the 
wretch  with  his  contemptuous  look. 

"  I  must  ask  M.  de  Guise,  then,"  faltered  Maurevel. 

The  King  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Do  not  ask,"  said  he  ;  "  for  M.  de  Guise  will  not  answer. 
Do  people  generally  answer  such  questions  ?  Those  that  do 
not  wish  to  be  hanged  must  guess  them." 

"  But  how  shall  I  know  him  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you  he  passes  the  Canon's  house  every  morning  at 
ten  o'clock." 


36  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOTS. 

"  But  many  pass  that  house.  Would  your  Majesty  deign  to 
give  me  any  certain  sign  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  easy  enough ;  to-morrow,  for  example,  he  will 
carry  a  red  morocco  portfolio  under  his  arm." 

"  That  is  sufficient,  sire." 

"  You  still  have  the  fast  horse  M.  de  Mouy  gave  you  ?  " 

"  Sire,  I  have  one  of  the  fleetest  of  horses." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  in  the  least  anxious  about  you  ;  only  it  is  as 
well  to  let  you  know  the  monastery  has  a  back  door." 

"  Thanks,  sire ;  pray  Heaven  for  me  !  " 

"  Oh,  a  thousand  devils  !  pray  to  Satan  rather  ;  for  only  by 
his  aid  can  you  escape  a  halter." 

"  Adieu,  sire." 

"  Adieu  !  By  the  way,  M.  de  Maurevel,  remember  that  if 
you  are  heard  of  before  ten  to-morrow,  or  are  not  heard  of 
afterward,  there  is  a  dungeon  at  the  Louvre." 

And  Charles  IX.  calmly  began  to  whistle,  with  more  than 
usual  precision,  his  favorite  air. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    EVENING    OF    THE    24TH    OF    AUGUST,    1572. 

OUR  readers  have  not  forgotten  that  in  the  previous  chapter 
we  mentioned  a  gentleman  named  De  la  Mole  whom  Henry  of 
Navarre  was  anxiously  expecting. 

This  young  gentleman,  as  the  admiral  had  announced,  en- 
tered Paris  by  the  gate  of  Saint  Marcel  the  evening  of  the 
24th  of  August,  1572 ;  and  bestowing  a  contemptuous  glance 
on  the  numerous  hostelries  that  displayed  their  picturesque 
signs  on  either  side  of  him,  he  spurred  his  steaming  horse  on 
into  the  heart  of  the  city,  and  after  having  crossed  the  Place 
Maubert,  Le  Petit  Pont,  the  Pont  Notre-Dame,  and  skirted  the 
quays,  he  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  Rue  de  Bresec,  which  we  have 
since  corrupted  into  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec,  and  for  the  greater 
convenience  of  our  readers  we  will  call  by  its  modern  name. 

The  name  pleased  him,  no  doubt,  for  he  entered  the  street, 
and  finding  on  his  left  a  large  sheet-iron  plate  swinging,  creak- 
ing on  its  hinges,  with  an  accompaniment  of  little  bells,  he 
stopped  and  read  these  words,  "  La  Belle  JStoilc"  written  on 


THE  EVENING   OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.   37 

a  scroll  beneath  the  sign,  which  was  a  most  attractive  one  for 
a  famished  traveller,  as  it  represented  a  fowl  roasting  in  the 
midst  of  a  black  sky,  while  a  man  in  a  red  cloak  held  out  his 
hands  and  his  purse  toward  this  new-fangled  constellation. 

"  Here,"  said  the  gentleman  to  himself,  "  is  an  inn  that  prom- 
ises well,  and  the  landlord  must  be  a  most  ingenious  fellow. 
I  have  always  heard  that  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec  was  near  the 
Louvre  ;  and,  provided  that  the  interior  answers  to  the  exterior, 
I  shall  be  admirably  lodged." 

While  the  newcomer  was  thus  indulging  in  this  monologue 
another  horseman  who  had  entered  the  street  at  the  other  end, 
that  is  to  say,  by  the  Rue  Samt-Honore,  stopped  also  to  admire 
the  sign  of  La  Belle.  JlJtoile. 

The  gentleman  whom  we  already  know,  at  least  by  name, 
rode  a  white  steed  of  Spanish  lineage  and  wore  a  black  doub- 
let ornamented  with  jet ;  his  cloak  was  of  dark  violet  velvet ; 
his  boots  were  of  black  leather,  and  he  had  a  sword  and  pon- 
iard with  hilts  of  chased  steel. 

Now  if  we  pass  from  his  costume  to  his  features  we  shall 
conclude  that  he  was  twenty-four  or  twenty-five  years  of  age. 
His  complexion  was  dark  ;  his  eyes  were  blue ;  he  had  a  deli- 
cate mustache  and  brilliant  teeth  which  seemed  to  light  up 
his  whole  face  when  his  exquisitely  modelled  lips  parted  in  a 
sweet  and  melancholy  smile. 

The  contrast  between  him  and  the  second  traveller  was  very 
striking.  Beneath  his  cocked  hat  escaped  a  profusion  of 
frizzled  hair,  red  rather  than  brown  ;  beneath  this  mop  of  hair 
sparkled  a  pair  of  gray  eyes  which  at  the  slightest  opposition 
grew  so  fierce  that  they  seemed-  black ;  a  fair  complexion,  thin 
lips,  a  tawny  mustache,  and  admirable  teeth  completed  the 
description  of  his  face.  Taken  all  in  all,  with  his  Avhite  skin, 
lofty  stature,  and  broad  shoulders,  he  was  indeed  a  beau  cava- 
lier in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term,  and  during  the 
last  hour  which  he  had  employed  in  staring  up  at  all  the 
windows,  under  the  pretext  of  looking  for  signs,  he  had  at- 
tracted the  general  attention  of  women,  while  the  men,  though 
they  may  have  felt  inclined  to  laugh  at  his  scanty  cloak,  his 
tight-fitting  small-clothes,  and  his  old-fashioned  boots,  checked 
their  rising  mirth  with  a  most  cordial  Dieu  vous  garde,  after 
they  had  more  attentively  studied  his  face,  which  every  moment 
assumed  a  dozen  different  expressions,  but  never  that  good- 
natured  one  characteristic  of  a  bewildered  provincial. 


38  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

He  it  was  who  first  addressed  the  other  gentleman  who,  as  I 
have  said,  was  gazing  at  the  hostelry  of  La  Belle  Etolle. 

"  By  Heaven  !  monsieur,"  said  he,  with  that  horrible  moun- 
tain accent  which  would  instantly  distinguish  a  native  of  Pied- 
mont among  a  hundred  strangers,  "  we  are  close  to  the  Louvre, 
are  we  not  ?  At  all  events,  I  think  your  choice  is  the  same 
as  mine,  and  I  am  highly  flattered  by  it." 

"Monsieur,"  replied  the  other,  with  a  Provenqal  accent 
which  rivalled  that  of  his  companion,  "  I  believe  this  inn  is 
near  the  Louvre.  However,  I  am  still  deliberating  whether  or 
not  I  shall  have  the  honor  of  sharing  your  opinion.  I  am  in  a 
quandary." 

"  You  have  not  yet  decided,  sir  ?  Nevertheless,  the  house  is 
attractive.  But  perhaps,  after  all,  I  have  been  won  over  to  it 
by  your  presence.  Yet  you  will  grant  that  is  a  pretty  paint- 
ing?" 

"Very  !  and  it  is  for  that  very  reason  I  mistrust  it.  Paris, 
I  am  told,  is  full  of  sharpers,  and  you  may  be  just  as  well 
tricked  by  a  sign  as  by  anything  else." 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  replied  the  Piedmontese, "  I  don't  care  a  fig 
for  their  tricks ;  and  if  the  host  does  not  serve  me  a  chicken  as 
well  roasted  as  the  one  on  his  sign,  I  will  put  him  on  the  spit, 
nor  will  I  let  him  off  till  I  have  done  him  to  a  turn.  Come, 
let  us  go  in." 

"  You  have  decided  me,"  said  the  Provencal,  laughing ;  "  pre- 
cede me,  I  beg." 

"  Oh,  sir,  on  my  soul  I  could  not  think  of  it,  for  I  am 
only  your  most  obedient  servant,  the  Comte  Annibal  de 
Cocoimas." 

"  And  I,  monsieur,  but  the  Comte  Joseph  Hyacinthe  Boni- 
face de  Lerac  de  la  Mole,  equally  at  your  service." 

"  Since  that  is  the  case,  let  us  go  in  together,  arm  in  arm." 

The  result  of  this  conciliatory  proposition  was  that  the  two 
young  men  got  off  their  horses,  threw  the  bridles  to  the  ostler, 
linked  arms,  adjusted  their  swords,  and  approached  the  door 
of  the  inn,  where  the  landlord  was  standing.  But  contrary  to 
the  custom  of  men  of  his  profession,  the  worthy  proprietor 
seemed  not  to  notice  them,  so  busy  was  he  talking  with  a  tall, 
sallow  man,  wrapped  in  a  drab-colored  cloak  like  an  owl  buried 
in  his  feathers. 

The  two  gentlemen  were  so  near  the  landlord  and  his  friend 
in  the  drab-colored  cloak  that  Coconnas,  indignant  that  he 


THE   EVENING   OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.   39 

and  his  companion  should  be  treated  with  such  lack  of  consider- 
ation, touched  the  landlord's  sleeve. 

He  appeared  suddenly  to  perceive  them,  and  dismissed  his 
friend  with  an  "  Au  revoir !  come  soon  and  let  me  know  the 
hour  appointed." 

"  Well,  monsieur  le  drole"  said  Coconnas,  "  do  not  you  see 
we  have  business  with  you  ?  " 

"  I  beg  pardon,  gentlemen,"  said  the  host ;  "  I  did  not  see 
you." 

"  Eh,  by  Heaven !  then  you  ought  to  have  seen  us  ;  and  now 
that  you  do  see  us,  say,  '  Monsieur  le  Comte,'  and  not  merely 
'  Monsieur,'  if  you  please." 

La  Mole  stood  by,  leaving  Coconnas,  who  seemed  to  have 
undertaken  the  affair,  to  speak ;  but  by  the  scowling  on  his 
face  it  was  evident  that  he  was  ready  to  come  to  his  assistance 
when  the  moment  of  action  should  present  itself. 

"  Well,  what  is  your  pleasure,  Monsieur  le  Comte  ?  "  asked 
the  landlord,  in  a  quiet  tone. 

"  Ah,  that 's  better  ;  is  it  not  ?  "  said  Coconnas,  turning  to 
La  Mole,  who  nodded  affirmatively.  "  Monsieur  le  Comte  and 
myself,  attracted  by  the  sign  of  your  establishment,  wish  to 
sup  and  sleep  here  to-night." 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  host,  "  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  have 
only  one  chamber,  and  I  am  afraid  that  would  not  suit  you." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  said  La  Mole ;  "  we  will  go  and 
lodge  somewhere  else." 

"  By  no  means,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  shall  stay  here ;  my 
horse  is  tired.  I  will  have  the  room,  since  you  will  not." 

"Ah!  that  is  quite  different,"  replied  the  host,  with  the 
same  cool  tone  of  impertinence.  "  If  there  is  only  one  of  you 
I  cannot  lodge  you  at  all,  then." 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  cried  Coconnas,  "  here 's  a  witty  animal ! 
Just  now  you  could  not  lodge  us  because  we  were  two,  and  now 
you  have  not  room  for  one.  You  will  not  lodge  us  at  all, 
then  ?  " 

"  Since  you  take  this  high  tone,  gentlemen,  I  will  answer  you 
frankly." 

"  Answer,  then ;  only  answer  quickly." 

"  Well,  then,  I  should  prefer  not  to  have  the  honor  of  lodg- 
ing you  at  all." 

"  For  what  reason  ?  "  asked  Coconnas,  growing  white  with 
rage. 


40  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Because  you  have  no  servants,  and  for  one  master's  room 
full,  I  should  have  two  servants'  rooms  empty ;  so  that,  if  I  let 
you  have  the  master's  room,  I  run  the  risk  of  not  letting  the 
others." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  Coconnas,  "  do  you  not  think  we 
ought  to  massacre  this  fellow  ?  " 

"  Decidedly,"  said  La  Mole,  preparing  himself,  together  with 
Coconnas,  to  lay  his  whip  over  the  landlord's  back. 

But  the  landlord  contented  himself  with  retreating  a  step  or 
two,  despite  this  two-fold  demonstration,  which  was  not  partic- 
ularly reassuring,  considering  that  the  two  gentlemen  appeared 
so  full  of  determination. 

"  It  is  easy  to  see,"  said  he,  in  a  tone  of  raillery,  "  that  these 
gentlemen  are  just  from  the  provinces.  At  Paris  it  is  no 
longer  the  fashion  to  massacre  innkeepers  who  refuse  to  let 
them  rooms  —  only  great  men  are  massacred  nowadays  and 
not  the  common  people  ;  and  if  you  make  any  disturbance,  I 
will  call  my  neighbors,  and  you  shall  be  beaten  yourselves,  and 
that  would  be  an  indignity  for  two  such  ,gentlemeu." 

"  Why  !  he  is  laughing  at  us,"  cried  Coconnas,  in  a  rage. 

"  Gregoire,  my  arquebuse,"  said  the  host,  with  the  same 
voice  with  which  he  would  have  said,  "  Give  these  gentleman 
a  chair." 

"  Trippe  del  papa !  "  cried  Coconnas,  drawing  his  sword  ; 
"  warm  up,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

"  No,  no ;  for  while  we  warm  up,  our  supper  will  get  cold." 

"  What,  you  think  "  —  cried  Coconnas. 

"  That  Monsieur  de  la  Belle  Etoile  is  right ;  only  he  does  not 
know  how  to  treat  his  guests,  especially  when  they  are  gentle- 
men, for  instead  of  brutally  saying, '  Gentlemen,  I  do  not  want 
you,'  it  would  have  been  better  if  he  had  said,  '  Enter,  gentle- 
men ' —  at  the  same  time  reserving  to  himself  the  right  to 
charge  in  his  bill,  master's  room,  so  much ;  servants'  room, 
so  much." 

With  these  words,  La  Mole  gently  pushed  by  the  landlord, 
who  was  just  on  the  point  of  taking  his  arquebuse,  and  entered 
with  Coconnas. 

"  Well,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  am  sorry  to  sheathe  my  swora 
before  I  have  ascertained  that  it  is  as  sharp  as  that  rascal's 
larding-needle." 

"  Patience,  my  dear  friend,  patience,"  said  La  Mole.  "  All 
the  inns  in  Paris  are  full  of  gentlemen  come  to  attend  the 


THE  EVENING  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.  41 

King  of  Navarre's  marriage  or  attracted  by  the  approaching 
war  with  Flanders ;  we  should  not  find  another  lodging ; 
besides,  perhaps  it  is  the  custom  at  Paris  to  receive  strangers 
in  this  manner." 

"  By  Heaven !  how  patient  you  are,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  !  " 
muttered  Coconnas,  curling  his  red  mustache  with  rage  and 
hurling  the  lightning  of  his  eyes  on  the  landlord.  "  But  let 
the  scoundrel  take  care ;  for  if  his  cooking  be  bad,  if  his  bed 
be  hard,  his  wine  less  than  three  years  in  bottle,  and  his 
waiter  be  not  as  pliant  as  a  reed  "  — 

"  There  !  there  !  my  dear  gentleman  ! "  said  the  landlord, 
whetting  his  knife  on  a  strap,  "  you  may  make  yourself  easy ; 
you  are  in  the  land  of  Cocagne." 

Then  in  a  low  tone  he  added : 

"  These  are  some  Huguenots ;  traitors  have  grown  so  inso- 
lent since  the  marriage  of  their  Bearnais  with  Mademoiselle 
Margot ! " 

Then,  with  a  smile  that  would  have  made  his  guests  shudder 
had  they  seen  it : 

"  How  strange  it  would  be  if  I  were  just  to  have  two  Hugue- 
nots come  to  my  house,  when  " 

"  Now,  then,"  interrupted  Coconnas,  pointedly,  "  are  we 
going  to  have  any  supper  ?  " 

"  Yes,  as  soon  as  you  please,  monsieur,"  returned  the  land- 
lord, softened,  no  doubt,  by  the  last  reflection. 

"  Well,  then,  the  sooner  the  better,"  said  Coconnas ;  and 
turning  to  La  Mole : 

"  Pray,  Monsieur  le  Comte,  while  they  are  putting  our  room 
in  order,  tell  me,  do  you  think  Paris  seems  a  gay  city  ?  " 

"  Faith !  no,"  said  La  Mole.  "  All  the  faces  I  have  seen 
looked  scared  or  forbidding  ;  perhaps  the  Parisians  also  are 
afraid  of  the  storm  ;  see  how  very  black  the  sky  Is,  and  the 
air  feels  heavy." 

"  Tell  me,  count,  are  you  not  bound  for  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"  Yes !  and  you  also,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas." 

"  Well,  let  us  go  together." 

"  It  is  rather  late  to  go  out,  is  it  not  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 

"  Early  or  late,  I  must  go ;  my  orders  are  peremptory  — 
*  Come  instantly  to  Paris,  and  report  to  the  Due  de  Guise  with- 
out delay.' " 

At  the  Due  de  Guise's  name  the  landlord  drew  nearer. 

"  I  think  the  rascal  is  listening  to  us,"  said  Coconuas,  who, 


42  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOJS. 

as  a  true  son  of  Piedmont,  was  very  truculent,  and  could  not 
forgive  the  proprietor  of  La  Belle  Etoile  his  rude  reception  of 
them. 

"  I  am  listening,  gentlemen,"  replied  he,  taking  off  his  cap ; 
"but  it  is  to  serve  you.  I  heard  the  great  duke's  name  men- 
tioned, and  I  came  immediately.  What  can  I  do  for  you, 
gentlemen  ?  " 

"  Aha  !  that  name  is  magical,  since  it  renders  you  so  polite. 
Tell  me,  maitre,  —  what 's  your  name  ?  " 

"  Maitre  la  Huriere,"  replied  the  host,  bowing. 

"  Well,  Maitre  la  Huriere,  do  you  think  my  arm  is  lighter 
than  the  Due  de  Guise's,  who  makes  you  so  civil  ?  " 

"  No,  Monsieur  le  Comte,  but  it  is  not  so  long,"  replied  La 
Huriere ;  "  besides,"  he  added,  "  I  must  tell  you  that  the 
great  Henry  is  the  idol  of  us  Parisians." 

«  Which  Henry  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

"  It  seems  to  me  there  is  only  one,"  replied  the  landlord. 

"  You  are  mistaken  ;  there  is  another,  whom  I  desire  you 
do  not  speak  ill  of,  and  that  is  Henry  of  Navarre ;  and  then 
there  is  Henry  de  Conde,  who  has  his  share  of  merit." 

"  I  do  not  know  them,"  said  the  landlord. 

"  But  I  do ;  and  as  I  am  on  my  way  to  the  King  of  Navarre, 
I  desire  you  not  to  speak  slightingly  of  him  before  me." 

The  landlord  replied  by  merely  touching  his  cap,  and  con- 
tinued to  lavish  his  assiduities  on  Coconnas  : 

"  So  monsieur  is  going  to  see  the  great  Due  de  Guise  ?  Mon- 
sieur is  a  very  fortunate  gentleman ;  he  has  come,  no  doubt, 
for" 

"  What  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"For  the  festivity,"  replied  the  host,  with  a  singular  smile. 

"  You  should  say  for  the  festivities,"  replied  Coconnas  ; 
"  for  Paris,  I  hear,  runs  riot  with  festivals  ;  at  least  there  is 
nothing  talked  about  but  balls,  festivals,  and  orgies.  Does  not 
every  one  find  plenty  of  amusement  ?  " 

"  A  moderate  amount,  but  they  will  have  more  soon,  I  hope." 

"  But  the  marriage  of  his  majesty  the  King  of  Navarre  has 
brought  a  great  many  people  to  Paris,  has  it  not  ?  "  said  La 
Mole. 

"  A  great  many  Huguenots  —  yes,"  replied  La  Huriere,  but 
suddenly  changing  his  tone  : 

"Pardon  me,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "perhaps  you  are  of 
that  religion  ?  " 


THE  EVENING  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.   43 

"  I,"  cried  Coconnas,  "  I  am  as  good  a  Catholic  as  the  pope 
himself." 

La  Huriere  looked  at  La  Mole,  but  La  Mole  did  not  or 
would  not  comprehend  him. 

"  If  you  do  not  know  the  King  of  Navarre,  Maitre  La 
Huriere,"  said  La  Mole,  "  perhaps  you  know  the  admiral.  I 
have  heard  he  has  some  influence  at  court,  and  as  I  have 
letters  for  him,  perhaps  you  will  tell  me  where  he  lives,  if  his 
name  does  not  take  the  skin  off  your  lips." 

"  He  did  live  in  the  Rue  de  Bethisy  down  here  at  the  right," 
replied  the  landlord,  with  an  inward  satisfaction  he  could  not 
conceal. 

"  He  did  live  ?  "  exclaimed  La  Mole.  "  Has  he  changed  his 
residence  ?  " 

"  Yes  —  from  this  world,  perhaps." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  cried  both  the  gentlemen  together, 
"  the  admiral  removed  from  this  world  ?  " 

"  What,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,"  pursued  the  landlord,  with 
a  shrewd  smile,  "  are  you  a  f rieud  of  the  Due  de  Guise,  and 
do  not  know  that  ?  " 

"  Know  what  ?  " 

"  That  the  day  before  yesterday,  as  the  admiral  was  passing 
along  the  place  Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois  before  the  house  of 
the  Canon  Pierre  Piles,  he  was  fired  at  "  — 

"  And  killed  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 

"  No ;  he  had  his  arm  broken  and  two  fingers  taken  off ; 
but  it  is  hoped  the  balls  were  poisoned." 

"  How,  wretch ! "  cried  La  Mole ;  "  hoped  ?  " 

"  Believed,  I  mean,"  said  the  landlord,  winking  at  Coconnas  ; 
"  do  not  take  a  word  too  seriously,  it  was  a  slip  of  the  tongue." 

And  Maitre  La  Huriere,  turning  his  back  on  La  Mole,  poked 
out  his  tongue  at  Coconnas  in  the  most  insulting  way,  accom- 
panying this  action  with  a  meaning  wink. 

"  Eeally !  "  said  Coconnas,  joyfully. 

"  Eeally  ! "  said  La  Mole,  with  sorrowful  stupefaction. 

"  It  is  just  as  I  have  the  honor  of  telling  you,  gentlemen," 
said  the  landlord. 

"  In  that  case,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  must  go  instantly  to  the 
Louvre.  Shall  I  find  the  King  of  Navarre  there  ?  " 

"  Most  likely,  since  he  lives  there." 

"  And  I,"  said  Coconnas,  "  must  also  go  to  the  Louvre. 
Shall  I  find  the  Due  de  Guise  there  ?  " 


44  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Most  likely  ;  for  only  a  moment  ago  I  saw  him  pass  with 
two  hundred  gentlemen." 

"  Come,  then,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,"  said  La  Mole. 

"  I  will  follow  you,  sir,"  replied  Coconnas. 

"  But  your  supper,  gentlemen  !  "  cried  La  Huriere. 

"  Ah,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  shall  most  likely  sup  with  the 
King  of  Navarre." 

"  And  I,"  said  Coconnas,  "  with  the  Due  de  Guise." 

"  And  I,"  said  the  landlord,  after  having  watched  the  two 
gentlemen  on  their  way  to  the  Louvre,  "  I  will  go  and  burnish 
my  sallet,  put  a  match  to  my  arquebuse,  and  sharpen  my  parti- 
san, for  no  one  knows  what  may  happen." 


CHAPTER  V. 

OF  THE  LOUVRE  IN  PARTICULAR,  AND  OF  VIRTUE  IN  GENERAL. 

THE  two  young  men,  directed  by  the  first  person  they  met, 
went  down  the  Rue  d'Averon,  the  Rue  Saint  Germain  1'Auxer- 
rois,  and  soon  found  themselves  before  the  Louvre,  the  towers 
of  which  were  beginning  to  be  lost  in  the  early  shades  of  the 
gloaming. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ? "  asked  Coconnas  of  La 
Mole,  who,  as  they  came  in  sight  of  the  old  chateau,  stopped 
and  gazed,  not  without  awe,  on  the  drawbridges,  the  narrow 
windows,  and  the  pointed  belfries,  which  suddenly  rose  before 
his  vision. 

"  I  scarcely  know,"  said  La  Mole ;  "  my  heart  beats 
strangely.  I  am  not  timid,  but  somehow  this  old  palace  seems 
so  gloomy  and  terrible." 

"  Well,  as  for  me,  I  don't  know  any  reason  for  it,"  replied 
Coconnas,  "  but  I  feel  in  excellent  spirits.  My  dress  is  some- 
what disordered,"  he  went  on  to  say,  glancing  at  his  travelling 
costume,  "  but  never  mind,  it  looks  as  if  I  had  been  riding. 
Besides,  my  instructions  commanded  promptness  and  I  shall 
be  welcome  because  I  shall  have  obeyed  punctually." 

The  two  young  men  continued  their  way,  each  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  feelings  he  had  expressed. 

There  was  a  strong  guard  at  the  Louvre  and  the  sentinels 
were  doubled.  Our  two  cavaliers  were  somewhat  embarrassed, 


OF    THE    LOUVRE    IN   PARTICULAR.  45 

therefore,  but  Coconnas,  who  had  noticed  that  the  Due  de 
Guise's  name  acted  like  a  talisman  on  the  Parisians,  ap- 
proached a  sentinel,  and  making  use  of  the  all-powerful  name, 
asked  if  by  means  of  it  he  might  not  be  allowed  to  enter. 

The  name  seemed  to  produce  its  ordinary  effect  upon  the 
soldier ;  nevertheless  he  asked  Coconnas  if  he  had  the  counter- 
sign. 

Coconnas  was  forced  to  confess  he  had  not. 

"  Stand  back,  then,"  said  the  soldier. 

At  this  moment  a  person  who  was  talking  with  the  officer 
of  the  guard  and  who  .had  overheard  Coconnas  ask  leave  to 
enter,  broke  off  his  conversation  and  came  to  him. 

"  Vat  do  you  vant  with  Monsieur  dee  Gouise  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  I  wish  to  see  him,"  said  Coconnas,  smiling. 

"  Imbossible !  the  duke  is  mit  the  King." 

"  But  I  have  a  letter  for  him." 

"  Ah,  you  haf  a  ledder  for  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  have  come  a  long  distance." 

"  Ah !  you  haf  gome  a  long  tistance  ?  " 

"  I  have  come  from  Piedmont." 

"  Veil,  veil !  dat  iss  anodder  ting.    And  vat  iss  your  name  ?  " 

"  The  Comte  Annibal  de  Coconnas." 

"  Goot !  goot !  kif  me  the  ledder,  Monsieur  Annibal,  kif  it 
to  me ! " 

"  On  my  word,"  said  La  Mole  to  himself,  "  a  very  civil  man. 
I  hope  I  may  find  one  like  him  to  conduct  me  to  the  King  of 
Navarre." 

"  But  kif  me  the  ledder,"  said  the  German  gentleman,  hold- 
ing out  his  hand  toward  Coconnas,  who  hesitated. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  replied  the  Piedmontese,  distrustful  like  a 
half-Italian,  "  I  scarcely  know  whether  I  ought,  as  I  have  not 
the  honor  of  knowing  you." 

"  I  am  Pesme ;  I  'm  addached  to  Monsir  le  Douque  de 
Gouise." 

"  Pesme,"  murmured  Coconnas  ;  "  I  am  not  acquainted  with 
that  name." 

"  It  is  Monsieur  de  Besme,  my  dear  sir,"  said  the  sentinel. 
"  His  pronunciation  misled  you,  that  is  all ;  you  may  safely 
give  him  your  letter,  I  '11  answer  for  it." 

"  Ah  !  Monsieur  de  Besme  !  "  cried  Coconnas ;  "  of  course  I 
know  you !  with  the  greatest  pleasure.  Here  is  the  letter. 
Pardon  my  hesitation  ;  but  fidelity  requires  one  to  be  careful." 


46  MARGUERITE    DE     V ALOIS. 

"  Goot,  goot !  dere  iss  no  need  of  any  egscuse,"  said  De 
Besrae. 

"  Perhaps,  sir,"  said  La  Mole,  "  you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  do 
the  same  for  my  letter  that  you  have  done  for.  my  friend  ?  " 

"  And  vat  iss  your  name,  monsir  ?  " 

"  The  Comte  Lerac  de  la  Mole." 

"  Gount  Lerag  dee  la  Mole  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  I  don't  know  de  name." 

"  It  is  not  strange  that  I  have  not  the  honor  of  being  known 
to  you,  sir,  for  like  the  Comte  de  Coconnas  I  am  only  just 
arrived  in  Paris." 

"  Where  do  you  gome  from  ?  " 

"  From  Provence." 

"  Vit  a  ledder  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  For  Monsir  dee  Gouise  ?  " 

"No  ;  for  his  majesty  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  I  do  not  pelong  to  de  King  of  Navarre,"  said  De  Besme, 
coldly,  "  and  derefore  I  gannot  dake  your  ledder." 

And  turning  on  his  heel,  he  entered  the  Louvre,  bidding 
Coconnas  follow  him. 

La  Mole  was  left  alone. 

At  this  moment  a  troop  of  cavaliers,  about  a  hundred  in 
number,  came  out  from  the  Louvre  by  a  gate  alongside  that  by 
which  Besme  and  Coconnas  had  entered. 

"  Aha ! "  said  the  sentinel  to  his  comrade,  "  there  are  De 
Mouy  and  his  Huguenots  !  See  how  joyous  they  all  are  !  The 
King  has  probably  promised  them  to  put  to  death  the  assassin 
of  the  admiral ;  and  as  it  was  he  who  murdered  De  Mouy's 
father,  the  son  will  kill  two  birds  with  one  stone." 

"  Excuse  me,  my  good  fellow,"  interrupted  La  Mole,  "  did 
you  not  say  that  officer  is  M.  de  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  that  those  with  him  are  "  — 

"  Are  heretics  —  I  said  so." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  La  Mole,  affecting  not  to  notice  the 
scornful  word  parpaillots,  employed  by  the  sentinel.  "  That 
was  all  I  wished  to  know ; "  and  advancing  to  the  chief  of  the 
cavaliers : 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  "I  am  told  you  are  M.  de  Mouy." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  returned  the  officer,  courteously. 


OF    THE    LOUVRE    IN   PARTICULAR.  47 

"  Your  name,  well  known  among  those  of  our  faith,  emboldens 
me  to  address  you,  sir,  to  ask  a  special  favor." 

"  What  may  that  be,  sir,  —  but  first  whom  have  I  the  honor  of 
addressing  ?  " 

"  The  Comte  Lerac  de  la  Mole." 

The  young  men  bowed  to  each  other. 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you,  sir  ?  "  asked  De  Mouy. 

"  Sir,  I  am  just  arrived  from  Aix,  and  bring  a  letter  from 
M.  d'Auriac,  Governor  of  Provence.  This  letter  is  directed 
to  the  King  of  Navarre  and  contains  important  and  pressing 
news.  How  can  I  give  it  to  him  ?  How  can  I  enter  the 
Louvre  ?  " 

"  Nothing  is  easier  than  to  enter  the  Louvre,  sir,"  replied 
De  Mouy  ;  "  but  I  fear  the  King  of  Navarre  will  be  too  busy 
to  see  you  at  this  hour.  However,  if  you  please,  I  will  take 
you  to  his  apartments,  and  then  you  must  manage  for  your- 
self." 

"  A  thousand  thanks  ! " 

"  Come,  then,"  said  De  Mouy. 

De  Mouy  dismounted,  threw  the  reins  to  his  lackey,  stepped 
toward  the  wicket,  passed  the  sentinel,  conducted  La  Mole 
into  the  chateau,  and,  opening  the  door  leading  to  the  king's 
apartments  : 

"  Enter,  and  inquire  for  yourself,  sir,"  said  he. 

And  saluting  La  Mole,  he  retired. 

La  Mole,  left  alone,  looked  round. 

The  ante-room  was  vacant.  One  of  the  inner  doors  was 
open.  He  advanced  a  few  paces  and  found  himself  in  a 
passage. 

He  knocked  and  spoke,  but  no  one  answered.  The  pro- 
foundest  silence  reigned  in  this  part  of  the  Louvre. 

';  What  was  told  me  about  the  stem  etiquette  of  this  place  ?  " 
said  he  to  himself.  "  One  may  come  and  go  in  this  palace  as 
if  it  were  a  public  place." 

Then  he  called  again,  but  without  obtaining  any  better 
result  than  before. 

"  Well,  let  us  walk  straight  on,"  thought  he,  "  I  must 
meet  some  one,"  and  he  proceeded  down  the  corridor,  which 
grew  darker  and  darker. 

Suddenly  the  door  opposite  that  by  which  he  had  entered 
opened,  and  two  pages  appeared,  lighting  a  lady  of  noble 
bearing  and  exquisite  beauty. 


48  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

The  glare  of  the  torches  fell  full  on  La  Mole,  who  stood 
motionless. 

The  lady  stopped  also. 

"  What  do  you  want,  sir  ?  "  said  she,  in  a  voice  which  fell 
upon  his  ears  like  exquisite  music. 

"  Oh,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  casting  down  his  eyes, 
"  pardon  me  ;  I  have  just  parted  from  M.  de  Mouy,  who  was 
so  good  as  to  conduct  me  here,  and  I  wish  to  see  the  King  of 
Navarre." 

"  His  majesty  is  not  here,  sir  ;  he  is  with  his  brother-in- 
law.  But,  in  his  absence,  could  you  not  say  to  the  queen  "  — 

"  Oh,  yes,  madame,"  returned  La  Mole,  "  if  I  could  obtain 
audience  of  her." 

"  You  have  it  already,  sir." 

"  What  ?  "  cried  La  Mole. 

"  I  am  the  Queen  of  Navarre." 

La  Mole  made  such  a  hasty  movement  of  surprise  and  alarm 
that  it  caused  the  queen  to  smile. 

"  Speak,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  "  but  speak  quickly,  for  the 
queen  mother  is  waiting  for  me." 

"  Oh,  madame,  if  the  queen  mother  is  waiting  for  you,"  said 
La  Mole,  "  suffer  me  to  leave  you,  for  just  now  it  would  be 
impossible  for  me  to  speak  to  you.  I  am  incapable  of  collect- 
ing my  ideas.  The  sight  of  you  has  dazzled  me.  I  no  longer 
think,  I  can  only  admire." 

Marguerite  advanced  graciously  toward  the  handsome  young 
man,  who,  without  knowing  it,  was  acting  like  a  finished 
courtier. 

"  Eecover  yourself,  sir,"  said  she ;  "  I  will  wait  and  they  will 
wait  for  me." 

"  Pardon  me,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  if  I  did  not  salute 
your  majesty  at  first  with  all  the  respect  which  you  have  a 
right  to  expect  from  one  of  your  humblest  servants,  but  "  — 

"  You  took  me  for  one  of  my  ladies  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  No,  madame ;  but  for  the  shade  of  the  beautiful  Diane  de 
Poitiers,  who  is  said  to  haunt  the  Louvre." 

"  Come,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  see  you  will  make  your 
fortune  at  court ;  you  said  you  had  a  letter  for  the  king,  it 
was  not  needed,  but  no  matter !  Where  is  it  ?  I  will  give  it 
to  him  —  only  make  haste,  I  beg  of  you." 

In  a  twinkling  La  Mole  threw  open  his  doublet,  and  drew 
from  his  breast  a  letter  enveloped  in  silk. 


OF    THE    LOUVRE    IN   PARTICULAR.  49 

Marguerite  took  the  letter,  and  glanced  at  the  writing. 

"  Are  you  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  Yes,  madame.  Oh,  mon  Dieu  !  Can  I  hope  my  name  is 
known  to  your  majesty  ?  " 

"I  have  heard  the  king,  my  husband,  and  the  Due  d'Alen- 
QOII,  my  brother,  speak  of  you.  I  know  they  expect  you." 

And  in  her  corsage,  glittering  with  embroidery  and  dia- 
monds, she  slipped  the  letter  which  had  just  come  from  the 
young  man's  doublet  and  was  still  warm  from  the  vital  heat  of 
his  body.  La  Mole  eagerly  watched  Marguerite's  every  move- 
ment. 

"  Now,  sir,"  said  she,  "  descend  to  the  gallery  below,  and 
wait  until  some  one  comes  to  you  from  the  King  of  Navarre  or 
the  Due  d'Alenqon.  One  of  my  pages  will  show  you  the  way." 

And  Marguerite,  as  she  said  these  words,  went  on  her  way. 
La  Mole  drew  himself  up  close  to  the  wall.  But  the  passage 
was  so  narrow  and  the  Queen  of  Navarre's  farthingale  was  so 
voluminous  that  her  silken  gown  brushed  against  the  young 
man's  clothes,  while  a  penetrating  perfume  hovered  where  she 
passed. 

La  Mole  trembled  all  over  and,  feeling  that  he  was  in  danger 
of  falling,  he  tried  to  find  a  support  against  the  wall. 

Marguerite  disappeared  like  a  vision. 

"  Are  you  coming,  sir  ?  "  asked  the  page  who  was  to  conduct 
La  Mole  to  the  lower  gallery. 

"  Oh,  yes  —  yes  !  "  cried  La  Mole,  joyfully  ;  for  as  the  page 
led  him  the  same  way  by  which  Marguerite  had  gone,  he  hoped 
that  by  making  haste  he  might  see  her  again. 

And  in  truth,  as  he  reached  the  top  of  the  staircase,  he  per- 
ceived her  below  ;  and  whether  she  heard  his  step  or  looked 
round  by  chance,  Marguerite  raised  her  head,  and  La  Mole 
saw  her  a  second  time. 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  as  he  followed  the  page,  "  she  is  not  a 
mortal  —  she  is  a  goddess,  and  as  Vergilius  Maro  says  :  '  Et 
vera  incessu  patuit,  dea.' " 

"  Well  ?  "  asked  the  page. 

'•'  Here  I  am,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  excuse  me,  here  I  am." 

The  page,  preceding  La  Mole,  descended  a  story  lower, 
opened  one  door,  then  another,  and  stopping, 

"  You  are  to  wait  here,"  said  he. 

La  Mole  entered  the  gallery,  the  door  of  which  closed  after 
him. 


50  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

The  gallery  was  vacant  except  for  one  gentleman,  who  was 
sauntering  up  and  down,  and  seemed  also  waiting  for  some 
one. 

The  evening  was  by  this  time  beginning  to  scatter  monstrous 
shadows  from  the  depths  of  the  vaulted  ceiling,  and  though 
the  two  gentlemen  were  not  twenty  paces  apart,  it  was  impos- 
sible for  either  to  recognize  the  other's  face. 

La  Mole  drew  nearer. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  muttered  he  as  soon  as  he  was  within  a  few 
feet  of  the  other,  "  here  is  Monsieur  le  Comte  de  Coconnas 
again !  " 

At  the  sound  of  footsteps  Coconnas  had  already  turned,  and 
was  staring  at  La  Mole  with  no  less  astonishment  than  the 
other  showed. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  cried  he.  "  The  devil  take  me  but  here  is 
Monsieur  de  la  Mole  !  What  am  I  doing  ?  Swearing  in  the 
King's  palace  ?  Well,  never  mind  ;  it  seems  the  King  swears 
in  a  different  way  from  mine,  and  even  in  churches.  Here  we 
are  at  last,  then,  in  the  Louvre  ! " 

"  Yes ;  I  suppose  Monsieur  de  Besme  introduced  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  is  a  charming  German.     Who  brought  you  in  ?  " 

"  M.  de  Mouy  —  I  told  you  the  Huguenots  had  some  interest 
at  court.  Have  you  seen  Monsieur  de  Guise  ?  " 

"  No,  not  yet.  Have  you  obtained  your  audience  with  the 
King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"No,  but  I  soon  shall.  I  was  brought  here  and  told  to 
wait." 

"  Ah,  you  will  see  there  is  some  great  supper  under  way  and 
we  shall  be  placed  side  by  side.  What  a  strange  chance  !  For 
two  hours  fortune  has  joined  us !  But  what  is  the  matter  ? 
You  seem  ill  at  ease." 

"  I  ?  "  exclaimed  La  Mole,  shivering,  for  in  truth  he  was 
still  dazzled  by  the  vision  which  had  been  vouchsafed  him. 
"  Oh,  no,  but  the  place  in  which  we  are  brings  into  my  mind  a 
throng  of  reflections." 

"  Philosophical  ones,  I  suppose.  Just  the  same  as  it  is  with 
me.  When  you  came  in  I  was  just  going  over  in  my  mind 
all  my  tutor's  recommendations.  Monsieur  le  Comte,  are  you 
acquainted  with  Plutarch  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  am  !  "  exclaimed  La  Mole,  smiling,  "  he  is  one 
of  my  favorite  authors." 

"  Very  well,"  Coconnas  went  on  gravely,  "  this  great  man 


OF    THE    LOUVRE    IN   PARTICULAR.  51 

does  not  seem  to  me  so  far  wrong  when  he  compares  the  gifts 
of  nature  to  brilliant  but  ephemeral  flowers,  while  he  regards 
virtue  as  a  balsamic  plant  of  imperishable  perfume  and  sover- 
eign efficacy  for  the  healing  of  wounds." 

"  Do  you  know  Greek,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  ?  "  said  La 
Mole,  gazing  keenly  at  his  companion. 

"  No,  I  do  not ;  but  my  tutor  did,  and  he  strongly  advised 
me  when  I  should  be  at  court  to  talk  about  virtue.  'That 
looks  well/  he  said.  So  I  assure  you  I  am  well  fortified  with 
it.  By  the  way,  are  you  hungry  ?  " 

«  No." 

"  And  yet  you  seemed  anxious  to  taste  the  broiled  fowl  of 
La  Belle  Etoile.  As  for  me,  I  am  dying  of  starvation!" 

"  Well,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  here  is  a  fine  chance  for  you 
to  make  use  of  your  arguments  on  virtue  and  to  put  your  ad- 
miration for  Plutarch  to  the  proof,  for  that  great  writer  says 
somewhere  :  l  It  is  good  to  accustom  the  soul  to  pain  and  the 
stomach  to  hunger  '  -— '  Prepon  esti  ten  men  psvchen  odune,  ton 
de  gastera  semo  aske'in.'  " 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  So  you  know  Greek  ?  "  exclaimed  Coconnas 
in  surprise. 

"  Faith,  yes,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  my  tutor  taught  me." 

"  By  Heaven  !  count,  your  fortune  is  made  if  that  is  so  ;  you 
will  compose  poetry  with  Charles  IX.  and  you  will  talk  Greek 
with  Queen  Marguerite !  " 

"  Not  to  reckon  that  I  can  still  talk  Gascon  with  the  King 
of  Navarre ! "  added  La  Mole,  laughing. 

At  this  moment  the  door  communicating  with  the  King's 
apartment  opened,  a  step  was  heard,  and  a  shade  was  seen 
approaching  in  the  darkness.  This  shade  materialized  into  a 
body.  This  body  belonged  to  Monsieur  de  Besme. 

He  scrutinized  both  gentlemen,  so  as  to  pick  out  the  one  he 
wanted,  and  then  motioned  Coconnas  to  follow  him. 

Coconnas  waved  his  hand  to  La  Mole. 

De  Besme  conducted  Coconnas  to  the  end  of  the  gallery, 
opened  a  door,  and  stood  at  the  head  of  a  staircase. 

He  looked  cautiously  round,  then  up  and  down. 

"  Monsir  de  Gogonnas,"  said  he,  "  vere  are  you  staying  ?  " 

"  At  La  Belle  Etoile,  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec." 

"  Goot,  goot !  dat  is  glose  by.  Go  pack  to  your  hodel  gwick 
and  to-nide  "  — 

He  looked  around  him  again. 


52  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"Well,  to-night?" 

"  Veil,  gome  here  mit  a  vite  gross  in  your  hat.  De  bass- 
vord  is  '  Gouise.'  Hush !  nod  a  vord." 

"  What  time  am  I  to  come  ?  " 

"  Ven  you  hear  de  dogsin." 

"  What 's  the  dogsin  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  Ja !  de  dogsin  —  pum  !  pum  ! " 

"  Oh  !  the  tocsin  !  " 

"  Ja,  vot  elus  tid  I  zay  ?  " 

"  Good  —  I  shall  be  here,"  said  Coconnas. 

And,  saluting  De  Besme,  he  took  his  departure,  asking 
himself : 

"  What  the  devil  does  he  mean  and  why  should  the  tocsin 
be  rung  ?  No  matter  !  I  persist  in  my  opinion :  Monsieur  de 
Besme  is  a  charming  Tedesco  —  Why  not  wait  for  the  Comte 
de  la  Mole  ?  Ah  faith,  no  !  he  will  probably  be  invited  to 
supper  with  the  King  of  Navarre." 

And  Coconnas  set  fojth  for  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec,  where 
the  sign  of  La  Belle  Etoile  like  a  lodestone  attracted  him. 

Meantime  a  gallery  door  which  led  to  the  King  of  Navarre's 
apartment  opened,  and  a  page  approached  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole. 

"  You  are  the  Comte  de  la  Mole  ?  "  said  he. 

"  That  is  my  name." 

"  Where  do  you  lodge  ?  " 

"  At  La,  Belle  fitoile,  Eue  de  1'Arbre  Sec." 

"  Good,  that  is  close  to  the  Louvre.  Listen  —  his  majesty 
the  King  of  Navarre  has  desired  me  to  inform  you  that  he 
cannot  at  present  receive  you ;  perhaps  he  may  send  for 
you  to-night ;  but  if  to-morrow  morning  you  have  received  110 
word,  come  to  the  Louvre." 

"  But  supposing  the  sentinel  refuse  me  admission." 

"  True  :  the  countersign  is  '  Navarre  ; '  that  word  will  open 
all  doors  to  you." 

«  Thanks." 

"  Wait,  my  dear  sir,  I  am  ordered  to  escort  you  to  the 
wicket  gate  for  fear  you  should  get  lost  in  the  Louvre." 

"  By  the  way,  how  about  Coconnas  ?  "  said  La  Mole  to  him- 
self as  soon  as  he  was  fairly  in  the  street.  "  Oh,  he  will  remain 
to  supper  with  the  Due  de  Guise." 

But  as  soon  as  he  entered  Maitre  la  Huriere's  the  first  thing 
La  Mole  saw  was  Coconnas  seated  before  a  gigantic  omelet. 


THE    DEBT   PAID.  53 

"  Oho !  "  cried  Coconnas,  laughing  heartily,  "  I  see  you  have 
no  more  dined  with  the  King  of  Navarre  than  I  have  supped 
with  the  Due  de  Guise." 

"  Faith,  no." 

"  Are  you  hungry  now  ?  " 

"  I  believe  I  am." 

"  In  spite  of  Plutarch  ?  " 

"  Count,"  said  La  Mole,  laughing,  "  Plutarch  says  in  another 
place  :  (  Let  him  that  hath,  share  with  him  that  hath  not.' 
Are  you  willing  for  the  love  of  Plutarch  to  share  your  omelet 
with  me  ?  Then  while  we  eat  we  will  converse  on  virtue  !  " 

"  Oh,  faith,  not  on  that  subject,"  cried  Coconnas.  "  It  is  all 
right  when  one  is  at  the  Louvre  and  there  is  danger  of  eaves- 
droppers and  one's  stomach  is  empty.  Sit  down  and  have 
something  to  eat  with  me." 

"  There,  now  I  see  that  fate  has  decidedly  made  us  insepar- 
able. Are  you  going  to  sleep  here  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  the  least  idea." 

"  Nor  I  either." 

"  At  any  rate,  I  know  where  I  shall  spend  the  night." 

«  Where  ?  " 

"  Wherever  you  do :  that  is  settled." 

And  both  burst  out  laughing  and  then  set  to  work  to  do 
honor  to  Maitre  la  Huriere's  omelet. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    DEBT    PAID. 

Now  if  the  reader  is  curious  to  know  why  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole  was  not  received  by  the  King  of  Navarre,  why  Monsieur 
de  Coconnas  was  not  permitted  to  see  Monsieur  de  Guise,  and 
lastly,  why  instead  of  eating  pheasants,  partridges,  and^venison 
at  the  Louvre,  both  supped  at  the  hotel  of  the  Belle  Etoile  on 
an  omelet,  he  must  kindly  accompany  us  to  the  old  palace  of 
kings,  and  follow  the  queen,  Marguerite  of  Navarre,  whom  La 
Mole  had  lost  from  sight  at  the  entrance  of  the  grand  gallery. 

While  Marguerite  was  descending  the  staircase,  the  duke, 
Henry  de  Guise,  whom  she  had  not  seen  since  the  night  of  her 
marriage,  was  in  the  King's  closet.  To  this  staircase  which 


54  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Marguerite  was  descending  there  was  an  outlet.  To  the  closet 
in.  which  Monsieur  de  Guise  was  there  was  a  door,  and  this 
door  and  this  outlet  both  led  to  a  corridor,  which  corridor  led 
to  the  apartments  of  the  queen  mother,  Catharine  de  Medicis. 

Catharine  de  Medicis  was  alone,  seated  near  a  table,  with 
her  elbow  leaning  on  a  prayer-book  half  open,  and  her  head 
leaning  on  a  hand  still  remarkably  beautiful,  —  by  reason  of 
the  cosmetics  with  which  she  was  supplied  by  the  Florentine 
Rene,  who  united  the  double  duty  of  perfumer  and  poisoner  to 
the  queen  mother. 

The  widow  of  Henry  II.  was  clothed  in  mourning,  which 
she  had  not  thrown  off  since  her  husband's  death.  At  this 
period  she  was  about  fifty-two  or  fifty-three  years  of  age,  and 
owing  to  her  stoutness  and  fair  complexion  she  preserved  much 
of  her  early  beauty. 

Her  rooms,  like  her  dress,  paraded  her  widowhood.  Every- 
thing in  them  bore  the  impress  of  bereavement :  hangings, 
walls,  and  furniture  were  all  in  mourning.  Only  above  a  kind 
of  dais  covering  a  throne,  where  at  that  moment  lay  sleeping 
the  little  greyhound  presented  to  the  queen  mother  by  her  son- 
in-law,  Henry  of  Navarre,  and  bearing  the  mythological  name 
of  Phoebe,  was  a  painted  rainbow  surrounded  by  that  Greek 
motto  which  King  Francois  I.  had  given  her :  "  Phos  pherei  « 
de  kai  aithzen  ;  "  which  may  be  translated : 

"  He  brings  light  and  serenity." 

Suddenly,  and  at  a  moment  when  the  queen  mother  appeared 
deeply  plunged  in  some  thought  which  brought  a  half-hesitat- 
ing smile  to  her  carmen-painted  lips,  a  man  opened  the  door, 
raised  the  tapestry,  and  showed  his  pale  face,  saying : 

"  Everything  is  going  badly." 

Catharine  raised  her  head  and  recognized  the  Due  de  Guise. 

"  Why  do  you  say  '  Everything  is  going  badly '  ?  "  she  re- 
plied. "What  do  you  mean,  Henry." 

"  I  mean  that  the  King  is  more  than  ever  taken  with  the 
accursed  Huguenots  ;  and  if  we  await  his  leave  to  execute  the 
great  enterprise,  we  shall  wait  a  very  long  time,  and  perhaps 
forever." 

"  Tell  me  what  has  happened,"  said  Catharine,  still  preserv- 
ing the  tranquillity  of  countenance  habitual  to  her,  yet  to 
which,  when  occasion  served,  she  could  give  such  different 
expressions. 

"  Why,  just  now,  for  the  twentieth  time,  I  asked  his  Majesty 


THE    DEBT    PAID.  55 

whether  he  would  still  permit  all  those  bravadoes  which  the 
gentlemen  of  the  reformed  religion  indulge  in,  since  their 
admiral  was  wounded." 

"  And  what  did  my  son  reply  ?  "  asked  Catharine. 

"  He  replied,  '  Monsieur  le  Due,  you  must  necessarily  be 
suspected  by  the  people  as  the  author  of  the  attempted  assassi- 
nation of  my  second  father,  the  admiral ;  defend  yourself  from 
the  imputation  as  best  you  may.  As  to  me,  I  will  defend  my- 
self properly,  if  I  am  insulted ; '  and  then  he  turned  away  to 
feed  his  dogs." 

"  And  you  made  no  attempt  to  retain  him  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  did ;  but  he  replied  to  me,  in  that  tone  which 
you  so  well  know,  and  looking  at  me  with  the  gaze  peculiar  to 
him,  '  Monsieur  le  Due,  my  dogs  are  hungry ;  and  they  are  not 
men,  whom  I  can  keep  waiting.'  Whereupon  I  came  straight 
to  you." 

"  And  you  have  done  right,"  said  the  queen  mother. 

"  But  what  is  now  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  Try  a  last  effort." 

«  And  who  will  try  it  ?  " 

"  I  will  !     Is  the  King  alone  ?  " 

"  No  ;  M.  de  Tavannes  is  with  him." 

"  Await  me  here ;  or,  rather,  follow  me  at  a  distance." 

Catharine  instantly  rose  and  went  to  the  chamber,  where  on 
Turkey  carpets  and  velvet  cushions  were  the  King's  favorite 
greyhounds.  On  perches  ranged  along  the  wall  were  two  or 
three  valuable  falcons  and  a  small  shrike,  with  which  Charles 
IX.  amused  himself  in  bringing  down  the  little  birds  in  the 
garden  of  the  Louvre,  and  that  of  the  Tuileries,  which  they 
had  just  begun  building. 

On  her  way  the  queen  mother  put  011  a  pale  and  anguished 
expression,  while  down  her  cheeks  rolled  a  last  or  rather  a 
first  tear. 

She  noiselessly  approached  Charles  IX.  as  he  was  giving  his 
dogs  fragments  of  cakes  cut  into  equal  portions. 

"  My  son,"  said  the  queen,  with  a  trembling  in  her  voice  so 
cleverly  affected  that  the  King  started. 

"  What  is  it,  madame  ? "  said  Charles,  turning  round  sud- 
denly. 

"  My  son,"  replied  Catharine,  "  I  would  ask  your  leave  to 
retire  to  one  of  your  chateaux,  no  matter  which,  so  that  it  be 
as  distant  as  possible  from  Paris." 


56  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

"  And  wherefore,  madame  ?  "  inquired  Charles  IX.,  fixing 
on  his  mother  that  glassy  eye  which,  on  certain  occasions, 
became  so  penetrating. 

"  Because  every  day  I  receive  new  insults  from  persons  of  the 
new  faith ;  because  to-day  I  hear  that  you  have  been  threatened 
by  the  Protestants  even  in  your  own  Louvre,  and  I  do  not 
desire  to  be  present  at  such  spectacles." 

"  But  then,  madame,"  replied  Charles  IX.,  with  an  expres- 
sion full  of  conviction,  "an  attempt  has  been  made  to  kill 
their  admiral.  An  infamous  murderer  has  already  assassinated 
the  brave  M.  de  Mouy.  Mart  de  ma  vie,  mother,  there  must 
be  justice  in  a  kingdom  !" 

"  Oh,  be  easy  on  that  head,  my  son,"  said  Catharine  ;  "  they 
will  not  fail  justice  ;  for  if  you  should  refuse  it,  they  will  still 
have  it  in  their  own  way  :  on  M.  de  Guise  to-day,  on  me  to- 
morrow, and  yourself  later." 

"  Oh,  madame  ! "  said  Charles,  allowing  a  first  accent  of 
doubt  to  show  in  his  voice,  "  do  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Oh,  my  son,"  replied  Catharine,  giving  way  entirely  to  the 
violence  of  her  thoughts,  "  do  you  not  see  that  it  is  no  longer 
a  question  of  Francois  de  Guise's  death  or  the  admiral's, 
of  the  Protestant  religion  or  the  Catholic  religion,  but  simply 
of  the  substitution  of  Antoine  de  Bourbon's  son  for  the  son  of 
Henry  the  Second  ?  " 

"  Come,  come,  mother,  you  are  falling  again  into  your  usual 
exaggeration,"  said  the  King. 

"  What,  then,  have  you  in  mind,  my  son  ?  " 

"  To  wait,  mother,  —  to  wait.  All  human  wisdom  is  in  this 
single  word.  The  greatest,  the  strongest,  the  most  skilful  is 
he  who  knows  how  to  wait." 

"  You  may  wait,  then ;  I  will  not." 

Catharine  made  a  courtesy,  and  stepping  towards  the  door, 
was  about  to  return  to  her  apartment. 

Charles  IX.  stopped  her. 

"  Well,  then,  really,  what  is  best  to  be  done,  mother  ?  "  he 
asked,  "  for  above  all  I  am  just,  and  I  would  have  every  one 
satisfied  with  me." 

Catharine  turned  toward  him. 

"  Come,  count,"  she  said  to  Tavannes,  who  was  caressing 
the  King's  shrike,  "tell  the  King  your  opinion  as  to  what 
should  be  done." 

"  Will  your  Majesty  permit  me  ?  "  inquired  the  count. 


THE    DEBT   PAID.  57 

"  Speak,  Tavannes  !  —  speak." 

"  What  does  your  Majesty  do  when,  in  the  chase,  the  wounded 
boar  turns  on  you  ?  " 

"  By  Heaven !  monsieur,  I  wait  for  him,  with  firm  foot,"  re- 
plied Charles,  "  and  stab  him  in  the  throat  with  my  boar-spear." 

"  Simply  that  he  may  not  hurt  you,"  remarked  Catharine. 

"  And  to  amuse  myself,"  said  the  King,  with  a  sigh  which 
indicated  courage  easily  aroused  even  to  ferocity ;  "  but  I  should 
not  amuse  myself  killing  my  subjects ;  for,  after  all,  the  Hugue- 
nots are  my  subjects,  as  well  as  the  Catholics." 

"Then,  sire,"  said  Catharine,  "your  subjects,  the  Huguenots, 
will  do  like  the  wild  boar  who  escapes  the  spear  thrust  into 
his  throat :  they  will  bring  down  the  throne." 

"  Nonsense  !  Do  you  really  think  so,  madame  ?  "  said 
Charles  IX.,  with  an  air  which  denoted  that  he  did  not  place 
great  faith  in  his  mother's  predictions. 

"  But  have  you  not  seen  M.  de  Mouy  and  his  party  to-day  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  have  seen  them,  for  I  have  just  left  them.  But 
what  does  he  ask  for  that  is  not  just  ?  He  has  requested  that 
his  father's  murderer  and  the  admiral's  assassin  be  put  to 
death.  Did  we  not  punish  M.  de  Montgommery  for  the  death 
of  my  father  and  your  husband,  although  that  death  was  a 
simple  accident  ?  " 

"  Very  well,  sire,"  said  Catharine,  piqued,  "  let  us  say  no 
more.  Your  majesty  is  under  the  protection  of  that  God  who 
gives  you  strength,  wisdom,  and  confidence.  But  I,  a  poor 
woman  whom  God  abandons,  no  doubt  on  account  of  my  sins, 
fear  and  yield." 

And  having  said  this,  Catharine  again  courteseyed  and  left 
the  room,  making  a  sign  to  the  Due  de  Guise,  who  had  at  that 
moment  entered,  to  remain  in  her  place,  and  try  a  last  effort. 

Charles  IX.  followed  his  mother  with  his  eye,  but  this  time 
did  not  recall  her.  He  then  began  to  caress  his  dogs,  whistling 
a  hunting-air. 

He  suddenly  paused. 

"  My  mother,"  said  he,  "  is  a  royal  spirit,  and  has  scruples  ! 
Really,  now,  it  is  a  cool  proposal,  to  kill  off  some  dozens  of 
Huguenots  because  they  come  to  demand  justice  !  Is  it  not 
their  right?" 

"  Some  dozens  !  "  murmured  the  Due  de  Guise. 

"  Ah  !  are  you  here,  sir  ?  "  said  the  King,  pretending  to  see 
him  for  the  first  time.  "  Yes,  some  dozens.  A  tolerable  waste 


58  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

of  life !  Ah  !  if  any  one  came  to  me  and  said ;  '  Sire,  you  shall 
be  rid  of  all  your  enemies  at  once,  and  to-morrow  there  shall 
not  remain  one  to  reproach  you  with  the  death  of  the  others,' 
why,  then,  I  do  not  say  "- 

«  Well,  sire  ?  " 

"  Tavannes,"  said  the  King,  "  you  will  tire  Margot ;  put  her 
back  on  her  perch.  It  is  no  reason,  because  she  bears  the 
name  of  my  sister,  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  that  every  one 
should  caress  her." 

Tavannes  put  the  hawk  on  her  perch,  and  amused  himself  by 
curling  and  uncurling  a  greyhound's  ears. 

"  But,  sire,  if  any  one  should  say  to  your  Majesty :  '  Sire, 
your  Majesty  shall  be  delivered  from  all  your  enemies  to- 
morrow '  ?  " 

"  And  by  the  intercession  of  what  saint  would  this  miracle 
be  wrought  ?  " 

"  Sire,  to-day  is  the  24th  of  August,  and  therefore  it  would 
be  by  the  interposition  of  Saint  Bartholomew." 

"  A  worthy  saint,"  replied  the  King,  "  who  allowed  himself 
to  be  skinned  alive  !" 

"  So  much  the  better  ;  the  more  he  suffered,  the  more  he 
ought  to  have  felt  a  desire  for  vengeance  on  his  executioners." 

"  And  will  you,  my  cousin,"  said  the  King,  "  will  you,  with 
your  pretty  little  gold-hilted  sword,  slay  ten  thousand  Hugue- 
nots between  now  and  to-morrow  ?  Ha !  ha  !  ha  !  mort  de  ma 
vie  !  you  are  very  amusing,  Monsieur  de  Guise  ! " 

And  the  King  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  but  a  laugh  so  forced 
that  the  room  echoed  with  its  sinister  sound. 

"  Sire,  one  word  —  and  one  only,"  continued  the  duke,  shud- 
dering in  spite  of  himself  at  the  sound  of  that  laugh,  which  had 
nothing  human  in  it,  —  "  one  signal,  and  all  is  ready.  I  have 
the  Swiss  and  eleven  hundred  gentlemen  ;  I  have  the  light 
horse  and  the  citizens  ;  your  Majesty  has  your  guards,  your 
friends,  the  Catholic  nobility.  We  are  twenty  to  one." 

"  Well,  then,  cousin,  since  you  are  so  strong,  why  the  devil 
do  you  come  to  fill  my  ears  with  all  this  ?  Act  without  me  — 
act"— 

And  the  King  turned  again  to  his  dogs. 

Then  the  portiere  was  raised,  and  Catharine  reappeared. 

"  All  goes  well,"  she  said  to  the  duke  ;  "  urge  him,  and  he 
will  yield." 


THE    DEBT   PAID.  59 

And  the  portiere  fell  on  Catharine,  without  Charles  IX.  see- 
ing, or  at  least  appearing  to  see  her. 

"  But  yet,"  continued  De  Guise,  "  I  must  know  if,  in  acting 
as  I  desire,  I  shall  act  agreeably  to  your  Majesty's  views." 

"  Really,  cousin  Henry,  you  put  the  knife  to  my  throat ! 
But  I  shall  live.  By  Heaven  !  am  I  not  the  king  ?  " 

"  No,  not  yet,  sire  ;  but,  if  you  will,  you  shall  be  so  to- 
morrow." 

"  Ah  —  what !  "  continued  Charles,  "-.  you  would  kill  the  King 
of  Navarre,  the  Prince  de  Conde — in  my  Louvre — ah !  " 

Then  he  added,  in  a  voice  scarcely  audible,  — "  Without 
the  walls,  I  do  not  say  " — 

"  Sire,"  cried  the  duke,  "  they  are  going  out  this  evening  to 
join  in  a  revel  with  your  brother,  the  Due  d'Alenqon." 

"  Tavannes,"  said  the  King,  with  well-affected  impatience, 
"  do  not  you  see  that  you  are  teasing  the  dog  ?  Here,  Actaeon, 
—  come !  " 

And  Charles  IX.  went  out  without  waiting  to  hear  more, 
and  Tavannes  and  the  Due  de  Guise  were  left  almost  as  un- 
certain as  before. 

Meantime  another  scene  was  passing  in  Catharine's  apart- 
ment. After  she  had  given  the  Due  de  Guise  her  counsel  to  re- 
main firm,  she  returned  to  her  rooms,  where  she  found  assem- 
bled the  persons  who  were  usually  present  when  she  went  to 
bed. 

Her  face  was  now  as  full  of  joy  as  it  had  been  downcast 
when  she  set  out.  With  her  most  agreeable  manner  she  dis- 
missed her  women  one  by  one  and  her  courtiers,  and  there 
remained  only  Madame  Marguerite,  who,  seated  on  a  coffer 
near  the  open  window,  was  looking  at  the  sky,  absorbed  in 
thought. 

Two  or  three  times,  when  she  thus  found  herself  alone  with 
her  daughter,  the  queen  mother  opened  her  mouth  to  speak, 
but  each  time  a  gloomy  thought  withheld  the  words  ready  to 
escape  her  lips. 

Suddenly  the  portiere  was  raised,  and  Henry  of  Navarre 
appeared. 

The  little  greyhound,  which  was  asleep  on  the  throne, 
leaped  up  and  bounded  towards  him. 

"  You  here,  my  son  !  "  said  Catharine,  starting.  "  Do  you 
sup  in  the  Louvre  to-night  ?  " 


60  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  No,  madame,"  replied  Henry,  "  we  are  going  into  the  city 
to-night,  with  Messieurs  d'Alenqon  and  Be  Conde.  I  almost 
expected  to  find  them  here  paying  their  court  to  you." 

Catharine  smiled. 

"  Go,  gentlemen,  go  —  men  are  so  fortunate  in  being  able  to 
go  about  as  they  please  !  Are  they  not,  my  daughter  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  liberty  is  so  glorious,  so  sweet 
a  thing." 

"  Does  that  imply  that  I  restrict  yours,  madame  ?  "  inquired 
Henry,  bowing  to  his  wife. 

"  No,  sire ;  I  do  not  complain  for  myself,  but  for  women  in 
general." 

"  Are  you  going  to  see  the  admiral,  my  son  ?  "  asked  Catha- 
rine. 

"  Yes,  possibly." 

"  Go,  that  will  set  a  good  example,  and  to-morrow  you  will 
give  me  news  of  him." 

"  Then,  madame,  I  will  go,  since  you  approve  of  this  step." 

"  Oh,"  said  Catharine,  "  my  approval  is  nothing —  But  who 
goes  there  ?  Send  him  away,  send  him  away." 

Henry  started  to  go  to  the  door  to  carry  out  Catharine's 
order ;  but  at  the  same  instant  the  portiere  was  raised  and 
Madame  de  Sauve  showed  her  blond  head. 

"  Madame,"  said  she,  "  it  is  Rene,  the  perfumer,  whom  your 
majesty  sent  for." 

Catharine  cast  a  glance  as  quick  as  lightning  at  Henry  of 
Navarre. 

The  young  prince  turned  slightly  red  and  then  fearfully 
pale.  Indeed,  the  name  of  his  mother's  assassin  had  been 
spoken  ;  he  felt  that  his  face  betrayed  his  emotion,  and  he  went 
and  leaned  against  the  bar  of  the  window. 

The  little  greyhound  growled. 

At  the  same  moment  two  persons  entered  —  the  one  an- 
nounced, and  the  other  having  no  need  to  be  so. 

The  first  was  Rene,  the  perfumer,  who  approached  Catha- 
rine with  all  the  servile  obsequiousness  of  Florentine  servants. 
He  held  in  his  hand  a  box,  which  he  opened,  and  all  the  com- 
partments were  seen  filled  with  powders  and  flasks. 

The  second  was  Madame  de  Lorraine,  Marguerite's  eldest 
sister.  She  entered  by  a  small  secret  door,  which  led  from 
the  King's  closet,  and,  all  pale  and  trembling,  and  hoping  not 
to  be  observed  by  Catharine,  who  was  examining,  with  Madame 


THE    DEBT   PAID.  61 

de  Sauve,  the  contents  of  the  box  brought  by  Rene,  seated 
herself  beside  Marguerite,  near  whom  the  King  of  Navarre 
was  standing,  with  his  hand  on  his  brow,  like  one  who  tries 
to  rouse  himself  from  some  sudden  shock. 

At  this  instant  Catharine  turned  round. 

"  Daughter,"  she  said  to  Marguerite,  "  you  may  retire  to 
your  room.  My  son,  you  may  go  and  amuse  yourself  in  the 
city." 

Marguerite  rose,  and  Henry  turned  half  round. 

Madame  de  Lorraine  seized  Marguerite's  hand. 

"  Sister,"  she  whispered,  with  great  quickness,  "  in  the  name 
of  the  Due  de  Guise,  who  now  saves  you,  as  you  saved  him, 
do  not  go  from  here  —  do  not  go  to  your  apartments." 

"  Eh !  what  say  you,  Claude  ?  "  inquired  Catharine,  turning 
round. 

"  Nothing,  mother." 

"  You  were  whispering  to  Marguerite." 

"  Simply  to  wish  her  good-night,  and  convey  a  greeting  to 
her  from  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers." 

"  And  where  is  that  fair  duchess  ?  " 

"  At  her  brother-in-law's,  M.  de  Guise's." 

Catharine  looked  suspiciously  at  the  women  and  frown- 
ing: 

"  Come  here,  Claude,"  said  the  qiieen  mother. 

Claude  obeyed,  and  the  queen  seized  her  hand. 

"  What  did  you  say  to  her,  indiscreet  girl  that  you  are  ?  " 
she  murmured,  squeezing  her  daughter's  wrist  until  she  nearly 
shrieked  with  pain. 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry  to  his  wife,  having  lost  nothing 
of  the  movements  of  the  queen,  Claude,  or  Marguerite, — 
"  madam  e,  will  you  allow  me  the  honor  of  kissing  your 
hand  ?  " 

Marguerite  extended  her  trembling  hand. 

"  What  did  she  say  to  you  ? "  whispered  Henry,  as  he 
stooped  to  imprint  a  kiss  on  her  hand. 

"  Not  to  go  out.  In  the  name  of  Heaven,  do  not  you  go 
out  either  ! " 

This  was  like  a  flash ;  but  by  its  light,  swift  as  it  was, 
Henry  at  once  detected  a  complete  plot. 

"  This  is  not  all,"  added  Marguerite ;  "  here  is  a  letter, 
which  a  country  gentleman  brought." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 


62  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Yes." 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  taking  the  letter  and  putting  it 
under  his  doublet ;  and,  passing  in  front  of  his  bewildered  wife, 
he  placed  his  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  Florentine. 

"  Well,  Maitre  Rene ! "  he  said,  "  and  how  go  commercial 
affairs  ?  » 

"  Pretty  well,  monseigneur,  —  pretty  well,"  replied  the  poi- 
soner, with  his  perfidious  smile. 

"  I  should  think  so,"  said  Henry,  "  with  men  who,  like  you, 
supply  all  the  crowned  heads  at  home  and  abroad." 

"  Except  the  King  of  Navarre,"  replied  the  Florentine, 
impudently. 

"  Venire  saint  gris,  Maitre  Rene,"  replied  the  king,  "  you  are 
right ;  and  yet  my  poor  mother,  who  also  bought  of  you,  rec- 
ommended you  to  me  with  her  dying  breath.  Come  to  me 
to-morrow,  Maitre  Rene,  or  day  after  to-morrow,  and  bring 
your  best  perfumes." 

"  That  would  not  be  a  bad  notion,"  said  Catharine,  smiling; 
"  for  it  is  said  " — 

"  That  I  need  some  perfumery,"  interrupted  Henry,  laugh- 
ing ;  "  who  told  you  that,  mother  ?  Was  it  Margot  ?  " 

"  No,  my  son,"  replied  Catharine,  "  it  was  Madame  de 
Sauve." 

At  this  moment  the  Duchesse  de  Lorraine,  who  in  spite  of  all 
her  efforts  could  no  longer  contain  herself,  burst  into  loud  sobs. 

Henry  did  not  even  turn  toward  her. 

"  Sister,  what  is  the  matter  ? "  cried  Marguerite,  darting 
toward  Claude. 

"  Nothing,"  said  Catharine,  passing  between  the  two  young 
women,  "  nothing ;  she  has  those  nervous  attacks,  for  which 
Mazille  prescribes  aromatic  preparations." 

And  again,  and  with  still  more  force  than  before,  she  pressed 
her  eldest  daughter's  arm ;  then,  turning  toward  the  youngest : 

"  There,  Margot,"  she  said,  "  did  you  not  hear  me  request 
you  to  retire  to  your  room  ?  If  that  is  not  sufficient,  I  com- 
mand you." 

"Excuse  me,  madame,"  replied  Marguerite,  trembling  and 
pale;  "I  wish  your  majesty  good-night." 

"  I  hope  your  wishes  may  be  heard.  Good-night  —  good- 
night !  " 

Marguerite  withdrew,  staggering,  and  in  vain  seeking  to 
meet  her  husband's  eyes,  but  he  did  not  even  turn  toward  her. 


THE    DEBT   PAID.  63 

There  was  a  moment's  silence,  during  which  Catharine 
remained  with  her  eyes  fastened  on  the  Duchess  of  Lorraine, 
who,  without  speaking,  looked  at  her  mother  with  clasped 
hands. 

Henry's  back  was  still  turned,  but  he  was  watching  the 
scene  in  a  mirror,  while  seeming  to  curl  his  mustache  with  a 
pomade  which  Rene  had  just  given  to  him. 

"  And  you,  Henry,"  said  Catharine,  "  are  you  still  intending 
to  go  out  ?  " 

"Yes,  that's  true,"  exclaimed  the  king.  "Farth,  I  was  for- 
getting that  the  Due  d'Alenqon  and  the  Prince  de  Conde  are 
waiting  for  me !  These  are  admirable  perfumes ;  they  quite 
overpower  one,  and  destroy  one's  memory.  Good  evening,  ma- 
dame." 

"  Good  evening !  To-morrow  you  will  perhaps  bring  me 
tidings  of  the  admiral." 

"  Without  fail  -      Well,  Phoebe,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Phoebe  ! "  said  the  queen  mother,  impatiently. 

"  Call  her,  madame,"  said  the  Bearnais,  "  for  she  will  not 
allow  me  to  go  out." 

The  queen  mother  rose,  took  the  little  greyhound  by  the 
collar,  and  held  her  while  Henry  left  the  apartment,  with  his 
features  as  calm  and  smiling  as  if  he  did  not  feel  in  his  heart 
that  his  life  was  in  imminent  peril. 

Behind  him  the  little  dog,  set  free  by  Catharine  de  Medicis, 
rushed  to  try  and  overtake  him,  but  the  door  was  closed,  and 
Phoebe  could  only  put  her  long  nose  under  the  tapestry  and 
give  a  long  and  mournful  howl. 

"Now,  Charlotte,"  said  Catharine  to  Madame  de  Sauve, 
"  go  and  find  Messieurs  de  Guise  and  Tavannes,  who  are  in 
my  oratory,  and  return  with  them ;  then  remain  with  the 
Duchess  of  Lorraine,  who  has  the  vapors." 


64  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE    NIGHT    OF    THE    24TH    OF    AUGUST,    1572. 

WHEN  La  Mole  and  Coconnas  had  finished  their  supper  — 
and  it  was  meagre  enough,  for  the  fowls  of  La  Belle 
Etoile  had  their  pin  feathers  singed  only  on  the  sign  — 
Coconnas  whirled  his  chair  around  on  one  leg,  stretched  out 
his  feet,  leaned  one  elbow  on  the  table,  and  drinking  a  last 
glass  of  wine,  said  : 

"  Do  you  mean  to  go  to  bed  instantly,  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole  ?  " 

"  Ma  foil  I  am  very  much  inclined,  for  it  is  possible  that  I 
may  be  called  up  in  the  night." 

"  And  I,  too,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  but  it  appears  to  me  that, 
under  the  circumstances,  instead  of  going  to  bed  and  making 
those  wait  who  are  to  come  to  us,  we  should  do  better  to  call 
for  cards  and  play  a  game.  They  would  then  find  us  quite 
ready." 

"  I  would  willingly  accept  your  proposal,  sir,  but  I  have  very 
little  money  for  play.  I  have  scarce  a  hundred  gold  crowns  in 
my  valise,  for  my  whole  treasure.  I  rely  on  that  with  which 
to  make  my  fortune  !  " 

"  A  hundred  gold  crowns  !  "  cried  Coconnas,  "  and  you  com- 
plain ?  By  Heaven !  I  have  but  six  !  " 

"  Why,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  I  saw  you  draw  from  your  pocket 
a  purse  which  appeared  not  only  full,  but  I  should  say  bloated." 

"  Ah,"  said  Coconnas,  "  that  is  to  defray  an  old  debt  which 
I  am  compelled  to  pay  to  an  old  friend  of  my  father,  whom  I 
suspect  to  be,  like  yourself,  somewhat  of  a  Huguenot.  Yes, 
there  are  here  a  hundred  rose  nobles,"  he  added,  slapping  his 
pocket,  "  but  these  hundred  rose  nobles  belong  to  Maitre  Mer- 
candon.  My  personal  patrimony,  as  I  tell  you,  is  limited  to 
six  crowns." 

"  How,  then,  can  you  play  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  is  because  of  that  I  wished  to  play.  Besides,  an 
idea  occurs  to  me." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  We  both  came  to  Paris  on  the  same  errand." 

"  Yes." 

"  Each  of  us  has  a  powerful  protector." 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.        65 

«  Yes." 

"  You  rely  on  yours,  as  I  rely  on  mine." 

«  Yes." 

"  Well,  then,  it  occurred  to  me  that  we  should  play  first 
for  our  money,  and  afterwards  for  the  first  favor  which  came 
to  us,  either  from  the  court  or  from  our  mistress"  — 

"  Really,  a  very  ingenious  idea,"  said  La  Mole,  with  a  smile, 
"  but  I  confess  I  am  not  such  a  gamester  as  to  risk  my  whole 
life  on  a  card  or  a  turn  of  the  dice  ;  for  the  first  favor  which 
may  come  either  to  you  or  to  me  will,  in  all  probability,  involve 
our  whole  life." 

"  Well,  let  us  drop  out  of  account  the  first  favor  from  the 
court  and  play  for  our  mistress's  first  favor." 

"  I  see  only  one  objection  to  that,"  said  La  Mole. 

"  What  objection  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  mistress  !  " 

"  Nor  I  either.  But  I  expect  to  have  one  soon.  Thank 
God !  we  are  not  cut  out  to  want  one  long ! " 

"  Undoubtedly,  as  you  say,  you  will  have  your  wish,  Mon- 
sieur de  Coconnas,  but  as  I  have  not  the  same  confidence  in 
my  love-star,  I  feel  that  it  would  be  robbery,  I  to  pit  my 
fortune  against  yours.  But,  if  you  will,  let  us  play  until  your 
six  crowns  be  lost  or  doubled,  and  if  lost,  and  you  desire  to 
continue  the  game,  you  are  a  gentleman,  and  your  word  is  as 
good  as  gold." 

"  Well  and  good !  "  cried  Coconnas,  "  that  's  the  talk  !  You 
are  right,  sir,  a  gentleman's  word  is  as  good  as  gold,  especially 
when  he  has  credit  at  court.  Thus,  believe  me,  I  did  not  risk 
too  much  when  I  proposed  to  play  for  the  first  favor  we  might 
receive." 

"  Doubtless,  and  you  might  lose  it,  but  I  could  not  gain  it ; 
for,  as  I  am  with  the  King  of  Navarre,  I  could  not  receive 
anything  from  the  Due  de  Guise." 

"  Ah,  the  heretic ! "  muttered  the  landlord  as  he  was  at 
work  polishing  up  his  old  helmet,  "  I  got  on  the  right  scent, 
did  I  ?  "  And  he  stopped  his  work  long  enough  to  cross  him- 
self piously. 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  Coconnas,  shuffling  the  cards  which 
the  waiter  had  just  brought  him,  "  you  are  of  the  "  — 

"  Of  the  what  ?  " 

"  Of  the  new  religion." 

"  I  ?  " 


66  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Yes,  you." 

"Well,  say  that  I  am,"  said  La  Mole,  with  a  smile,  "have 
you  anything  against  us  ?  " 

"  Oh !  thank  God,  no !  It  is  all  the  same  to  me.  I  hate 
Huguenotry  with  all  niy  heart,  but  I  do  not  hate  the  Huguenots  ; 
besides,  they  are  in  fashion  just  now." 

"  Yes,"  replied  La  Mole,  smiling  ;  "  to  wit,  the  shooting  at 
the  admiral  with  an  arquebuse  ;  but  supposing  we  have  a  game 
of  arquebusades." 

"  Anything  you  please,"  said  Coconnas,  "  provided  I  get  to 
playing,  it  is  all  the  same  to  me." 

11  Well,  let  us  play,  then,"  said  La  Mole,  picking  up  his  cards 
and  arranging  them  in  his  hand. 

"  Yes,  play  ahead  and  with  all  confidence,  for  even  if  I  were 
to  lose  a  hundred  crowns  of  gold  against  yours  I  shall  have 
the  wherewithal  to  pay  you  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Then  your  fortune  will  come  while  you  are  asleep." 

"No;  I  am  going  to  find  it." 

"  Where  ?    Tell  me  and  I  '11  go  with  you." 

"  At  the  Louvre." 

"  Are  you  going  back  there  to-night  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  to-night  I  have  a  private  audience  with  the  great 
Due  de  Guise." 

As  soon  as  Coconnas  began  to  speak  about  going  to  seek  his 
fortune  at  the  Louvre,  La  Huriere  stopped  polishing  his  sallet 
and  went  and  stood  behind  La  Mole's  chair,  so  that  Coconnas 
alone  could  see  him,  and  made  signs  to  him,  which  the  Pied- 
montese,  absorbed  in  his  game  and  the  conversation,  did  not 
notice. 

"  Well,  it  is  miraculous,"  remarked  La  Mole ;  "  and  you 
were  right  when  you  said  that  we  were  born  under  the  same 
star.  I  have  also  an  appointment  at  the  Louvre  to-night,  but 
not  with  the  Due  de  Guise ;  mine  is  with  the  King  of 
Navarre." 

"  Have  you  a  pass-word  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  A  rallying  sign  ?  " 

«  No." 

"  Well,  I  have  one,  and  my  pass-word  is  " — 

As  the  Piedmontese  was  saying  these  words,  La  Huriere 
made  such  an  expressive  gesture  that  the  indiscreet  gentleman, 
who  happened  at  that  instant  to  raise  his  head,  paused  petri- 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.       67 

fied  more  by  the  action  than  by  the  turn  of  the  cards  which 
had  just  caused  him  to  lose  three  crowns. 

La  Mole  looked  around,  but  saw  only  his  landlord  standing 
behind  him  with  folded  arms  and  wearing  on  his  head  the 
sallet  which  he  had  seen  him  polishing  the  moment  before. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  pray  ?  "  inquired  La  Mole  of  Coconnas. 

Coconuas  looked  at  the  landlord  and  at  his  companion  with- 
out answering,  for  he  could  make  nothing  out  of  Maitre  La 
Huriere's  redoubled  gestures. 

La  Huriere  saw  that  he  must  go  to  his  aid : 

"  It  is  only  that  I  am  very  fond  of  cards  myself,"  said  he, 
speaking  rapidly,  "  and  I  came  closer  to  see  the  trick  which 
made  you  gain,  and  the  gentleman  saw  me  with  my  war  hel- 
met on,  and  as  I  am  only  a  poor  bourgeois,  it  surprised  him." 

"  You  make  a  fine  figure,  indeed  you  do !  "  cried  La  Mole, 
with  a  burst  of  laughter. 

"  Oh,  sir,"  replied  La  Huriere  with  admirably  pretended 
good  nature  and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  expressive  of  his 
inferiority,  "  we  poor  fellows  are  not  very  valiant  and  our 
appearance  is  not  elegant.  It  is  all  right  for  you  fine  gentle- 
men to  wear  glittering  helmets  and  carry  keen  rapiers,  and 
provided  we  mount  guard  strictly  "  — 

"  Aha  ! "  said  La  Mole,  taking  his  turn  at  shuffling  the  cards. 
"  So  you  mount  guard,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Eh,  mon  Dieu,  oui,  Monsieur  le  Comte  !  I  am  sergeant  in  a 
company  of  citizen  militia." 

After  having  said  this  while  La  Mole  was  engaged  in  deal- 
ing the  cards,  La  Huriere  withdrew,  putting  his  finger  on  his 
lips  as  a  sign  of  discretion  for  Coconnas,  who  was  more  amazed 
than  ever. 

This  signal  for  caution  was  doubtless  the  reason  that  he  lost 
almost  as  rapidly  the  second  time  as  the  first. 

"  Well,"  observed  La  Mole,  "  this  makes  exactly  your  six 
crowns.  Will  you  have  your  revenge  on  your  future  fortune  ?  " 

"  Willingly,"  replied  Coconnas. 

"  But  before  you  begin,  did  you  not  say  you  had  an  appoint- 
ment with  the  Due  de  Guise  ?  " 

Coconnas  looked  toward  the  kitchen,  and  saw  the  great  eyes 
of  La  Huriere,  who  was  repeating  his  warning. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  but  it  is  not  yet  time.  But  now  let  us 
talk  a  little  about  yourself,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

"  We  should  do  better,  I  think,  by  talking  of  the  game,  my 


68  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

dear  Monsieur  de  Coconnas ;  for  unless  I  am  very  much  mis- 
taken, I  am  in  a  fair  way  of  gaining  six  more  crowns." 

"  By  Heaven  !  that  is  true  !  I  always  heard  that  the  Hugue- 
nots had  good  luck  at  cards.  Devil  take  me  if  I  have  n't  a 
good  mind  to  turn  Huguenot !  " 

La  Huriere's  eyes  sparkled  like  two  coals ;  but  Coconnas, 
absorbed  in  his  game,  did  not  notice  them.  "  Do  so,  count,  do 
so,"  said  La  Mole,  "  and  though  the  way  in  which  the  change 
came  about  is  odd,  you  will  be  well  received  among  us." 

Coconnas  scratched  his  ear. 

"  If  I  were  sure  that  your  good  luck  came  from  that,"  he 
said,  "  I  would ;  for  I  really  do  not  stickle  so  overwhelmingly 
for  the  mass,  and  as  the  King  does  not  think  so  much  of  it 
either  "  — 

"  Then  it  is  such  a  beautiful  religion,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "  so 
simple,  so  pure  " 

"  And,  moreover,  it  is  in  fashion,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  and, 
moreover,  it  brings  good  luck  at  cards  ;  for  the  devil  take  me 
if  you  do  not  hold  all  the  aces,  and  yet  I  have  watched  you 
closely,  and -you  play  very  fairly;  you  do  not  cheat;  it  must 
be  the  religion  "  — 

"  You  owe  me  six  crowns  more,"  said  La  Mole,  quietly. 

"  Ah,  how  you  tempt  me  !  "  said  Coconnas ;  "  and  if  I  am  not 
satisfied  with  Monsieur  de  Guise  to-night "  — 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  to-morrow  I  will  ask  you  to  present  me  to  the  King 
of  Navarre  and,  be  assured,  if  once  I  become  a  Huguenot,  I 
will  out-Huguenot  Luther,  Calvin,  Melanchthon,  and  all  the 
reformers  on  earth  ! " 

"  Hush  !  "  said  La  Mole,  "  you  will  get  into  a  quarrel  with 
our  host." 

"  Ah,  that  is  true,"  said  Coconnas,  looking  toward  the 
kitchen  ;  "  but  —  no,  he  is  not  listening ;  he  is  too  much  occu- 
pied at  this  moment." 

"  What  is  he  doing,  pray  ? "  inquired  La  Mole,  who  could 
not  see  him  from  where  he  was. 

"  He  is  talking  with  —  devil  take  me  !  it  is  he  !  " 

«  Who  ?  " 

"  Why,  that  night-bird  with  whom  he  was  discoursing  when 
we  arrived.  The  man  in  the  yellow  doublet  and  drab-colored 
cloak.  By  Heaven  !  how  earnestly  he  talks.  Say,  Maitre  La 
Huriere,  are  you  engaged  in  politics  ?  " 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.      69 

But  this  time  Maitre  La  Huriere's  answer  was  a  gesture  so 
energetic  and  imperious  that  in  spite  of  his  love  for  the  pict- 
ure card  Coconnas  got  up  and  went  to  him. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

"  You  wish  wine,  sir  ?  "  said  La  Huriere,  seizing  Coconnas' 
hand  eagerly.  "  You  shall  have  it.  Gregoire,  wine  for  these 
gentlemen ! " 

Then  he  whispered  in  his  ear : 

"  Silence,  if  you  value  your  life,  silence !  And  get  rid  of 
your  companion." 

La  Huriere  was  so  pale,  the  sallow  man  so  lugubrious,  that 
Coconnas  felt  a  shiver  run  over  him,  and  turning  to  La  Mole 
said : 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  must  beg  you  to  excuse  me.  I  have  lost 
fifty  crowns  in  the  turn  of  a  hand  I  am  in  bad  luck  to-night, 
and  I  fear  I  may  get  into  difficulties." 

"  Well,  sir,  as  you  please,"  replied  La  Mole ;  "  besides,  I 
shall  not  be  sorry  to  lie  down  for  a  time.  Maitre  la  Huriere !  " 

"  Monsieur  le  Comte  ?  " 

"  If  any  one  comes  for  me  from  the  King  of  Navarre,  wake 
me ;  I  shall  be  dressed,  and  consequently  ready." 

"  So  shall  I,1'  said  Coconnas  ;  "  and  that  I  may  not  keep  his 
highness  waiting,  I  will  prepare  the  sign.  Maitre  la  Huriere, 
some  white  paper  and  scissors  !  " 

"  Gregoire  !  "  cried  La  Huriere,  "  white  paper  to  write  a 
letter  on  and  scissors  to  cut  the  envelope  with." 

"  Ah !  "  said  the  Piedmontese  to  himself.  "  Something 
extraordinary  is  going  on  here !  " 

"  Good-night,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "  and 
you,  landlord,  be  so  good  as  to  light  me  to  my  room.  Good 
luck,  my  friend ! "  and  La  Mole  disappeared  up  the  winding 
staircase,  followed  by  La  Huriere. 

Then  the  mysterious  man,  taking  Coconnas  by  the  arm,  said 
to  him,  speaking  very  rapidly  : 

"  Sir,  you  have  very  nearly  betrayed  a  secret  on  which 
depends  the  fate  of  a  kingdom.  God  saw  fit  to  have  you  close 
your  mouth  in  time.  One  word  more,  and  I  should  have  brought 
you  down  with  my  arquebuse.  Now  we  are  alone,  fortunately  ; 
listen  ! " 

"  But  who  are  you  that  you  address  me  with  this  tone  of 
authority  ?  " 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  talk  of  the  Sire  de  Maurevel  ?  " 


70  MARGUERITE    DE    V  A  LOIS. 

"  The  assassin  of  the  admiral  ?  " 

"  And  of  Captain  de  Mouy." 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  I  am  the  Sire  de  Maurevel." 

"  Oho  !  "  said  Coconnas. 

"  Now  listen  to  me ! " 

"  By  Heaven  !  I  assure  you  I  will  listen  ! " 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Maurevel,  putting  his  finger  on  his  mouth. 

Coconnas  listened. 

At  that  moment  he  heard  the  landlord  close  the  door  of  a 
chamber,  then  the  door  of  a  corridor,  and  bolt  it.  Then  he 
rushed  down  the  stairs  to  join  the  two  speakers. 

He  offered  a  chair  to  Coconnas,  a  chair  to  Maurevel,  and 
took  one  for  himself. 

"All  is  safe  now,  Monsieur  de  Maurevel,"  said  he;  "you 
may  speak." 

It  was  striking  eleven  o'clock  at  Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois. 
Maurevel  counted  each  of  the  hammer-strokes  as  they  sounded 
clear  and  melancholy  through  the  night,  and  when  the  last 
echo  had  died  away  in  space  he  turned  to  Coconnas,  who  was 
greatly  mystified  at  seeing  the  precautions  taken  by  the  two 
men.  "  Sir,"  he  asked,  "  are  you  a  good  Catholic  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  think  I  am,"  replied  Coconnas. 

"  Sir,"  continued  Maurevel,  "  are  you  devoted  to  the  King  ?  " 

"  Heart  and  soul !  I  even  feel  that  you  insult  me,  sir,  in 
asking  such  a  question." 

"  We  will  not  quarrel  over  that ;  only  you  are  going  to  fol- 
low us." 

«  Whither  ?  " 

"  That  is  of  little  consequence  —  put  yourself  in  our  hands ; 
your  fortune,  and  perhaps  your  life,  is  at  stake." 

"  I  tell  you,  sir,  that  at  midnight  I  have  an  appointment  at 
the  Louvre." 

"  That  is  where  we  are  going." 

"Monsieur  de  Guise  is  expecting  me  there." 

"  And  us  also." 

"  But  I  have  a  private  pass-word,"  continued  Coconnas, 
somewhat  mortified  at  sharing  with  the  Sire  de  Maurevel 
and  Maitre  La  Huriere  the  honor  of  his  audience. 

"  So  have  we." 

"  But  I  have  a  sign  of  recognition." 

Maurevel  smiled. 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.       71 

Then  he  drew  from  beneath  his  doublet  a  handful  of  crosses 
in  white  stuff,  gave  one  to  La  Huriere,  one  to  Coconnas,  and 
took  another  for  himself.  La  Huriere  fastened  his  to  his 
helmet.  Maurevel  attached  his  to  the  side  of  his  hat. 

"  Ah,  "  said  Coconnas,  amazed,  "  the  appointment  and  the 
rallying  pass-word  were  for  every  one  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  —  that  is  to  say,  for  all  good  Catholics." 

"  Then  there  is  a  festival  at  the  Louvre  —  some  royal  ban- 
quet, is  there  not  ?  "  said  Coconnas ;  "  and  it  is  desired  to 
exclude  those  hounds  of  Huguenots,  —  good,  capital,  excel- 
lent! They  have  been  showing  off  too  long." 

"  Yes,  there  is  to  be  a  festival  at  the  Louvre  —  a  royal 
banquet ;  and  the  Huguenots  are  invited ;  and  moreover, 
they  will  be  the  heroes  of  the  festival,  and  will  pay  for  the 
banquet,  and  if  you  will  be  one  of  us,  we  will  begin  by  going 
to  invite  their  principal  champion  —  their  Gideon,  as  they 
call  him." 

"  The  admiral !  "  cried  Coconnas. 

"  Yes,  the  old  Gaspard,  whom  I  missed,  like  a  fool,  though 
I  aimed  at  him  with  the  King's  arquebuse." 

"  And  this,  my  gentleman,  is  why  I  was  polishing  my  sallet, 
sharpening  my  sword,  and  putting  an  edge  on  my  knives," 
said  La  Huriere,  in  a  harsh  voice  consonant  with  war. 

At  these  words  Coconnas  shuddered  and  turned  very  pale, 
for  he  began  to  understand.. 

"  What,  really,"  he  exclaimed,  "  this  festival  —  this  banquet 
is  a  —  you  are  going  "  — 

"  You  have  been  a  long  time  guessing,  sir,"  said  Maurevel, 
"  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that  you  are  not  so  weary  of  these  inso- 
lent heretics  as  we  are." 

"  And  you  take  on  yourself,"  he  said,  "  to  go  to  the  admiral's 
and  to" - 

Maurevel  smiled,  and  drawing  Coconnas  to  the  window  he 
said: 

"  Look  there !  —  do  you  see,  in  the  small  square  at  the  end 
of  the  street,  behind  the  church,  a  troop  drawn  up  noiselessly 
in  the  shadow?" 

«  Yes." 

"  The  men  forming  that  troop  have,  like  Maitre  la  Huriere, 
and  myself,  and  yourself,  a  cross  in  their  hats." 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  these  men  are  a  company  of  Swiss,  from  the  smaller 


72  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

cantons,  commanded  by  Toquenot,  —  you  know  the  men  from 
the  smaller  cantons  are  the  King's  cronies." 

"  Oho  !  "  said  Coconnas. 

"  Now  look  at  that  troop  of  horse  passing  along  the  Quay  — 
do  you  recognize  their  leader  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  recognize  him  ?  "  asked  Cocounas,  with  a  shud- 
der ;  "  I  reached  Paris  only  this  evening." 

"  Well,  then,  he  is  the  one  with  whom  you  have  a  rendez- 
vous at  the  Louvre  at  midnight.  See,  he  is  going  to  wait  for 
you  !  " 

"  The  Due  de  Guise  ?  " 

"  Himself !  His  escorts  are  Marcel,  the  ex-provost  of  the 
tradesmen,  and  Jean  Choron,  the  present  provost.  These  two 
are  going  to  summon  their  companies,  and  here,  down  this 
street  comes  the  captain  of  the  quarter.  See  what  he  will 
do!" 

"  He  knocks  at  each  door ;  but  what  is  there  on  the  doors 
at  which  he  knocks  ?  " 

"  A  white  cross,  young  man,  such  as  that  which  we  have  in 
our  hats.  In  days  gone  by  they  let  God  bear  the  burden  of 
distinguishing  his  own ;  now  we  have  grown  more  civilized 
and  we  save  him  the  bother." 

"  But  at  each  house  at  which  he  knocks  the  door  opens  and 
from  each  house  armed  citizens  come  out." 

"  He  will  knock  here  in  turn,  and  we  shall  in  turn  go  out." 

"  What,"  said  Coconnas,  "  every  one  called  out  to  go  and 
kill  one  old  Huguenot  ?  By  Heaven  !  it  is  shameful !  It  is 
an  affair  of  cut-throats,  and  not  of  soldiers." 

"Young  man,"  replied  Maurevel,  "if  the  old  are  objection- 
able to  you,  you  may  choose  young  ones  —  you  will  find  plenty 
for  all  tastes.  If  you  despise  daggers,  use  your  sword,  for  the 
Huguenots  are  not  the  men  to  allow  their  throats  to  be  cut 
without  defending  themselves,  and  you  know  that  Huguenots, 
young  or  old,  are  tough." 

"  But  are  they  all  going  to  be  killed,  then  ?  "  cried  Coconnas. 

«  All ! " 

"  By  the  King's  order  ?  " 

"  By  order  of  the  King  and  Monsieur  de  Guise." 

"And  when?" 

"  When  you  hear  the  bell  of  Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois." 

"  Oh !  so  that  was  why  that  amiable  German  attached  to 
the  Due  de  Guise  —  what  is  his  name  ?  " 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.       73 

"  Monsieur  de  Besme." 

"  That  is  it.  That  is  why  Monsieur  de  Besme  told  me  to 
hasten  at  the  first  sound  of  the  tocsin." 

"  So  then  you  have  seen  Monsieur  de  Besme  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  him  and  spoken  to  him." 

«  Where  ?  " 

"  At  the  Louvre.  He  admitted  me,  gave  me  the  pass-word, 
gave  me  "  — 

"  Look  there ! " 

"  By  Heaven  !  —  there  he  is  himself." 

"  Would  you  speak  with  him  ?  " 

"  Why,  really,  I  should  not  object." 

Maurevel  carefully  opened  the  window ;  Besme  was  passing 
at  the  moment  with  twenty  soldiers. 

"  Guise  and  Lorraine  !  "  said  Maurevel. 

Besme  turned  round,  and  perceiving  that  he  himself  was 
addressed,  came  under  the  window. 

"  Oh,  is  it  you,  Monsir  de  Maurefel  ?  " 

"  Yes,  't  is  I ;  what  are  you  looking  for  ?  " 

"  I  am  looking  for  de  hostelry  of  de  Belle  Etoile,  to  find  a 
Monsir  Gogonnas." 

"  Here  I  am,  Monsieur  de  Besme,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  Goot,  goot ;  are  you  ready  ?  " 

«  Yes  —  to  do  what  ?  " 

"  Vatefer  Monsieur  de  Maurefel  may  dell  you,  for  he  is  a  goot 
Gatolic." 

"  Do  you  hear  ?  "  inquired  Maurevel. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Coconnas, "  but,  Monsieur  de  Besme,  where  are 
you  going  ?  " 

"  I  ?  "  asked  Monsieur  de  Besme,  with  a  laugh. 

"  Yes,  you." 

"  I  am  going  to  fire  off  a  leedle  wort  at  the  admiral." 

"  Fire  off  two,  if  need  be,"  said  Maurevel,  "  and  this  time,  if 
he  gets  up  at  the  first,  do  not  let  him  get  up  at  the  second." 

"  Haf  no  vear,  Monsir  de  Maurefel,  haf  no  vear,  und  mean- 
vile  get  dis  yoong  mahn  on  de  right  drack." 

"  Don't  worry  about  me :  the  Coconnas  are  regular  blood- 
hounds, and  I  am  a  chip  of  the  old  block."  ' 

"  Atieu." 

«  Go  on  !  " 

"  Unt  you  ?  " 

'Bone  cliiens  chaseent  de  race. 


74  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Begin  the  hunt ;  we  shall  be  at  the  death." 

De  Besme  went  on,  and  Maurevel  closed  the  window. 

"  Did  you  hear,  young  man  ?  "  said  Maurevel ;  "  if  you  have 
any  private  enemy,  even  if  he  is  not  altogether  a  Huguenot, 
you  can  put  him  on  your  list,  and  he  will  pass  with  the 
others." 

Coconnas,  more  bewildered  than  ever  with  what  he  saw  and 
heard,  looked  first  at  his  landlord,  who  was  assuming  formid- 
able attitudes,  and  then  at  Maurevel,  who  quietly  drew  a  paper 
from  his  pocket. 

"  Here  's  my  list,"  said  he  ;  "  three  hundred.  Let  each  good 
Catholic  do  this  night  one-tenth  part  of  the  business  I  shall 
do,  and  to-morrow  there  will  not  remain  one  single  heretic  in 
the  kingdom." 

"  Hush  ! "  said  La  Huriere. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  inquired  Coconnas  and  Maurevel  together. 

They  heard  the  first  pulsation  from  the  bell  in  Saint  Germain 
1'Auxerrois. 

"  The  signal ! "  exclaimed  Maurevel.  "  The  time  is  set  for- 
ward !  I  was  told  it  was  appointed  at  midnight  —  so  much 
the  better.  When  it  concerns  the  interest  of  God  and  the 
King,  it  is  better  for  clocks  to  be  fast  than  slow ! " 

In  reality  they  heard  the  church  bell  mournfully  tolling. 

Then  a  shot  was  fired,  and  almost  instantly  the  light  of 
several  torches  blazed  up  like  flashes  of  lightning  in  the  Rue 
de  1'Arbre  Sec. 

Coconnas  passed  his  hand  over  his  brow,  which  was  damp 
with  perspiration. 

"  It  has  begun  !  "  cried  Maurevel.  "  Now  to  work  —  away ! " 

"  One  moment,  one  moment !  "  said  the  landlord.  "  Before 
we  begin,  let  us  protect  the  camp,  as  we  say  in  the  army.  I 
do  not  wish  to  have  my  wife  and  children's  throats  cut  while  I 
am  out.  There  is  a  Huguenot  here." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  !  "  said  Coconnas,  starting. 

"  Yes,  the  heretic  has  thrown  himself  into  the  wolf's  throat." 

"  What ! "  said  Coconnas,  "  would  you  attack  your  guest  ?  " 

"  I  gave  an  extra  edge  to  my  rapier  for  his  special  benefit." 

"  Oho  ! "  said  the  Piedmontese,  frowning. 

"  I  never  yet  killed  anything  but  my  rabbits,  ducks,  and 
chickens,"  replied  the  worthy  inn-keeper,  "  and  I  do  not  know 
very  well  how  to  go  to  work  to  kill  a  man ;  well,  I  will  practise  on 
him,  and  if  I  am  clumsy,  no  one  will  be  there  to  laugh  at  me." 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.      75 

"  By  Heaven !  it  is  hard,"  said  Coconnas.  "  Monsieur  de 
la  Mole  is  my  companion ;  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  has  supped 
with  me ;  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  has  played  with  me  "  — 

"  Yes  ;  but  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  a  heretic,"  said  Maurevel. 
"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  doomed ;  and  if  we  do  not  kill  him, 
others  will." 

"  Not  to  say,"  added  the  host,  "  that  he  has  won  fifty  crowns 
from  you." 

"  True,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  but  fairly,  I  am  sure." 

"Fairly  or  not,  you  must  pay  them,  while,  if  I  kill  him, 
you  are  quits." 

"  Come,  come !  "  cried  Maurevel ;  "  make  haste,  gentlemen, 
an  arquebuse-shot,  a  rapier-thrust,  a  blow  with  a  mallet,  a 
stroke  with  any  weapon  you  please  ;  but  get  done  with  it  if  you 
wish  to  reach  the  admiral's  in  time  to  help  Monsieur  de  Guise 
as  we  promised." 

Coconnas  sighed. 

"I  '11  make  haste  ! "  cried  La  Huriere,  "  wait  for  me." 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  cried  Coconnas,  "  he  will  put  the  poor  fellow 
to  great  pain,  and,  perhaps,  rob  him.  I  must  be  present  to  finish 
him,  if  requisite,  and  to  prevent  any  one  from  touching  his 
money." 

And  impelled  by  this  happy  thought,  Coconnas  followed  La 
Huriere  upstairs,  and  soon  overtook  him,  for  according  as  the 
landlord  went  up,  doubtless  as  the  effect  of  reflection,  he  slack- 
ened his  pace. 

As  he  reached  the  door,  Coconnas  still  following,  many  gun- 
shots were  discharged  in  the  street.  Instantly  La  Mole  was 
heard  to  leap  out  of  bed  and  the  flooring  creaked  under  his 
feet. 

"  Diable  !  "  muttered  La  Huriere,  somewhat  disconcerted  ; 
"  that  has  awakened  him,  I  think." 

"  It  looks  like  it,"  observed  Coconnas. 

"  And  he  will  defend  himself." 

"  He  is  capable  of  it.  Suppose,  now,  Maitre  la  Huriere,  he 
were  to  kill  you  ;  that  would  be  droll !  " 

"  Hum,  hum  !  "  responded  the  landlord,  but  knowing  himself 
to  be  armed  with  a  good  arquebuse,  he  took  courage  and 
dashed  the  door  in  with  a  vigorous  kick. 

La  Mole,  without  his  hat,  but  dressed,  was  entrenched  behind 
his  bed,  his  sword  between  his  teeth,  and  his  pistols  in  his 
hands. 


76  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Oho ! "  said  Coconnas,  his  nostrils  expanding  as  if  he 
had  been  a  wild  beast  smelling  blood,  "  this  grows  interesting, 
Maitre  la  Huriere.  Forward  ! " 

"  Ah,  you  would  assassinate  me,  it  seems  !  "  cried  La  Mole, 
with  glaring  eyes  ;  "  and  it  is  you,  wretch !  " 

Maitre  la  Huriere's  reply  to  this  was  to  take  aim  at  the 
young  man  with  his  arquebuse ;  but  La  Mole  was  on  his 
guard,  and  as  he  fired,  fell  on  his  knees,  and  the  ball  flew  over 
his  head. 

"  Help  !  "  cried  La  Mole  ;  "  help,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  !  " 

"  Help,  Monsieur  de  Maurevel !  —  help  !  "  cried  La  Huriere. 

"Mafoif  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  replied  Coconnas,  "all  I 
can  do  in  this  affair  is  not  to  join  the  attack  against  you.  It 
seems  all  the  Huguenots  are  to  be  put  to  death  to-night,  in  the 
King's  name.  Get  out  of  it  as  well  as  you  can." 

"  Ah,  traitors  !  assassins  !  —  is  it  so  ?  Well,  then,  take  this  !  " 
and  La  Mole,  aiming  in  his  turn,  fired  one  of  his  pistols.  La 
Huriere,  who  had  kept  his  eye  on  him,  dodged  to  one  side ; 
but  Coconnas,  not  anticipating  such  a  reply,  stayed  where  he 
was,  and  the  bullet  grazed  his  shoulder. 

"  By  Heaven !  "  he  exclaimed,  grinding  his  teeth  ;  "  I  have 
it.  Well,  then,  let  it  be  we  two,  since  you  will  have  it  so!  " 

And  drawing  his  rapier,  he  rushed  on  La  Mole. 

Had  he  been  alone  La  Mole  would,  doubtless,  have  awaited 
his  attack;  but  Coconnas  had  La  Huriere  to  aid  him,  who 
was  reloading  his  gun,  and  Maurevel,  who,  responding  to  the 
innkeeper's  invitation,  was  rushing  up-stairs  four  steps  at  a 
time. 

La  Mole,  therefore,  dashed  into  a  small  closet,  which  he 
bolted  inside. 

"  Ah,  coward  ! "  cried  Coconnas,  furious,  and  striking  at  the 
door  with  the  pommel  of  his  sword ;  "  wait !  wait !  and  I 
will  make  as  many  holes  in  your  body  as  you  have  gained 
crowns  of  me  to-night.  I  came  up  to  prevent  you  from  suffer- 
ing !  Oh,  I  came  up  to  prevent  you  from  being  robbed  and  you 
pay  me  back  by  putting  a  bullet  into  my  shoulder!  Wait  for 
me,  coward,  wait ! " 

While  this  was  going  on,  Maitre  la  Huriere  came  up  and 
with  one  blow  with  the  butt-end  of  his  arquebuse  smashed  in 
the  door. 

Coconnas  darted  into  the  closet,  but  only  bare  walls  met  him. 
The  closet  was  empty  and  the  window  was  open. 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572.      77 

"  He  must  have  jumped  out,"  said  the  landlord,  "  and  as  we 
are  on  the  fourth  story,  he  is  surely  dead." 

"  Or  he  has  escaped  by  the  roof  of  the  next  house,"  said 
Coconnas,  putting  his  leg  on  the  window-sill  and  preparing  to 
follow  him  over  this  narrow  and  slippery  route  ;  but  Maurevel 
and  La  Huriere  seized  him  and  drew  him  back  into  the 
room. 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  "  they  both  exclaimed  at  once ;  "  you  will 
kill  yourself  ! " 

"  Bah  !  "  said  Goconnas,  "  I  am  a  mountaineer,  and  used  to 
climbing  glaciers ;  besides,  when  a  man  has  once  offended 
me,  I  would  go  up  to  heaven  or  descend  to  hell  with  him,  by 
whatever  route  he  pleases.  Let  me  do  as  I  wish." 

"  Well,"  said  Maurevel,  "  he  is  either  dead  or  a  long  way  off 
by  this  time.  Come  with  us  ;  and  if  he  escape  you,  you  will 
find  a  thousand  others  to  take  his  place." 

"  You  are  right,"  cried  Coconnas.  "  Death  to  the  Hugue- 
nots !  I  want  revenge,  and  the  sooner  the  better." 

And  the  three  rushed  down  the  staircase,  like  an  avalanche. 

"  To  the  admiral's  !  "  shouted  Maurevel. 

"  To  the  admiral's  !  "  echoed  La  Huriere. 

"  To  the  admiral's,  then,  if  it  must  be  so  !  "  cried  Coconnas 
in  his  turn. 

And  all  three,  leaving  the  Belle  Etoile  in  charge  of  Gregoire 
and  the  other  waiters,  hastened  toward  the  admiral's  hotel  in 
the  Hue  de  Bethizy ;  a  bright  light  and  the  report  of  fire- 
arms guided  them  in  that  direction. 

"  Ah,  who  comes  here  ?  "  cried  Coconnas.  "  A  man  without 
his  doublet  or  scarf  !  " 

"  It  is  some  one  escaping,"  said  Maurevel. 

"  Fire  !  fire  ! "  said  Coconnas  ;  "  you  who  have  arquebuses." 

"  Faith,  not  I,"  replied  Maurevel.  "  I  keep  my  powder 
for  better  game." 

"  You,  then,  La  Huriere  ! " 

"  Wait,  wait ! "  said  the  innkeeper,  taking  aim. 

"  Oh,  yes,  wait,"  cried  Coconnas,  "  and  meantime  he  will 
escape." 

And  he  rushed  after  the  unhappy  wretch,  whom  he  soon 
overtook,  as  he  was  wounded ;  but  at  the  moment  when,  in 
order  that  he  might  not  strike  him  behind,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Turn,  will  you  !  turn  ! "  the  report  of  an  arquebuse  was  heard, 
a  bullet  whistled  by  Coconnas's  ears,  and  the  fugitive  rolled 


78  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

over,  like  a  hare  in  its  swiftest  flight  struck  by  the  shot  of  the 
sportsman. 

A  cry  of  triumph  was  heard  behind  Coconnas.  The  Pied- 
montese  turned  round  and  saw  La  Huriere  brandishing  his 
weapon. 

"Ah,"  he  exclaimed,  "I  have  handselled  this  time  at  any 
rate." 

"  And  only  just  missed  making  a  hole  quite  through  me." 

"  Be  on  your  guard !  —  be  on  your  guard ! "  cried  La 
Huriere. 

Coconnas  sprung  back.  The  wounded  man  had  risen  on  his 
knee,  and,  eager  for  revenge,  was  just  on  the  point  of  stabbing 
him.  with  his  poniard,  when  the  landlord's  warning  put  the 
Piedmontese  on  his  guard. 

"  Ah,  viper ! "  shouted  Coconnas ;  and  rushing  at  the 
wounded  man,  he  thrust  his  sword  through  him  three  times 
up  to  the  hilt. 

"  And  now,"  cried  he,  leaving  the  Huguenot  in  the  agonies 
of  death,  "  to  the  admiral's  !  —  to  the  admiral's  !  " 

"  Aha  !  my  gentlemen,"  said  Maurevel,  "  it  seems  to  work." 

"  Faith  !  yes,"  replied  Coconnas.  "  I  do  not  know  if  it  is 
the  smell  of  gunpowder  makes  me  drunk,  or  the  sight  of  blood 
excites  me,  but  by  Heaven  !  I  am  thirsty  for  slaughter.  It  is 
like  a  battue  of  men.  I  have  as  yet  only  had  battues  of 
bears  and  wolves,  and  on  my  honor,  a  battue  of  men  seems 
more  amusing." 

And  the  three  went  on  their  way. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    MASSACRE. 

THE  hotel  occupied  by  the  admiral,  as  we  have  said,  was 
situated  in  the  Rue  de  Bethizy.  It  was  a  great  mansion  at 
the  rear  of  a  court  and  had  two  wings  giving  on  the  street. 
A  wall  furnished  Avith  a  large  gate  and  two  small  grilled  doors 
stretched  from  wing  to  wing. 

When  our  three  Gruisards  reached  the  end  of  the  Rue  de 
Bethizy,  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  Rue  des  Fosse's  Saint 
Germain  1'Auxerrois,  they  saw  the  hotel  surrounded  by  Swiss, 


THE    MASSACRE.  79 

by  soldiers,  and  by  armed  citizens ;  every  one  had  in  his  right 
hand  either  a  sword  or  a  pike  or  an  arquebuse,  and  some  held 
in  their  left  hands  torches,  shedding  over  the  scene  a  fitful  and 
melancholy  glare  which,  according  as  the  throng  moved,  shifted 
along  the  street,  climbed  the  walls,  or  spread  over  that  living 
sea  where  every  weapon  cast  its  answering  flash. 

All  around  the  hotel  and  in  the  Rues  Tirechappe,  Etienne, 
and  Bertin  Poiree  the  terrible  work  was  proceeding.  Long 
shouts  were  heard,  there  was  an  incessant  rattle  of  musketry, 
and  from  time  to  time  some  wretch,  half  naked,  pale,  and 
drenched  in  blood,  leaped  like  a  hunted  stag  into  the  circle  of 
lugubrious  light  where  a  host  of  fiends  seemed  to  be  at  work. 

In  an  instant  Coconnas,  Maurevel,  and  La  Huriere,  accredited 
by  their  white  crosses,  and  received  with  cries  of  welcome, 
were  in  the  thickest  of  this  struggling,  panting  mob.  Doubt- 
less they  would  not  have  been  able  to  advance  had  not  some 
of  the  throng  recognized  Maurevel  and  made  way  for  him. 
Coconnas  and  La  Huriere  followed  him  closely  and  the  three 
therefore  contrived  to  get  into  the  court-yard. 

In  the  centre  of  this  court-yard,  the  three  doors  of  which 
had  been  burst  open,  a  man,  around  whom  the  assassins  formed 
a  respectful  circle,  stood  leaning  on  his  drawn  rapier,  and 
eagerly  looking  up  at  a  balcony  about  fifteen  feet  above  him, 
and  extending  in  front  of  the  principal  window  of  the  hotel. 

This  man  stamped  impatiently  on  the  ground,  and  from 
time  to  time  questioned  those  that  were  nearest  to  him. 

"  Nothing  yet !  "  murmured  he.  "  No  one !  —  he  must  have 
been  warned  and  has  escaped.  What  do  you  think,  Du 
Gast  ?  " 

"  Impossible,  monseigueur." 

"  Why  ?  Did  you  not  tell  me  that  just  before  we  arrived 
a  man,  bare-headed,  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  came  running, 
as  if  pursued,  knocked  at  the  door,  and  was  admitted  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monseigneur  ;  but  M.  de  Besme  came  up  immediately, 
the  gates  were  shattered,  and  the  hotel  was  surrounded." 

"  The  man  went  in  sure  enough,  but  he  has  not  gone  out." 

"  Why,"  said  Coconnas  to  La  Huriere,  "  if  my  eyes  do  not 
deceive  me,  I  see  Monsieur  de  Guise." 

"  You  do  see  him,  sir.  Yes ;  the  great  Henry  de  Guise  is 
come  in  person  to  watch  for  the  admiral  and  serve  him  as  he 
served  the  duke's  father.  Every  one  has  his  day,  and  it  is  our 
turn  now." 


80  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Hola,  Besme,  hola  !  "  cried  the  duke,  in  his  powerful  voice, 
"  have  you  not  finished  yet  ?  " 

And  he  struck  his  sword  so  forcibly  against  the  stones  that 
sparks  flew  out. 

At  this  instant  shouts  were  heard  in  the  hotel  —  then 
several  shots  —  then  a  great  shuffling  of  feet  and  a  clashing 
of  swords,  and  then  all  was  again  silent. 

The  duke  was  about  to  rush  into  the  house. 

"  Monseigneur,  monseigneur !  "  said  Du  Gast,  detaining  him, 
"  your  dignity  commands  you  to  wait  here." 

"  You  are  right,  Du  Gast.  I  must  stay  here ;  but  I  am 
dying  with  impatience  and  anxiety.  If  he  were  to  escape  me  !  " 

Suddenly  the  noise  of  feet  came  nearer  —  the  windows  of 
the  first  floor  were  lighted  up  with  what  seemed  the  reflection 
of  a  conflagration. 

The  window,  to  which  the  duke's  eyes  had  been  so  many 
times  lifted,  opened,  or,  rather,  was  shattered  to  pieces,  and  a 
man,  his  pale  face  and  white  neck  stained  with  blood,  appeared 
on  the  balcony. 

"  Ah !  at  last,  Besme  !  "  cried  the  duke  ;  "  speak  !  speak  !  " 

"  Louk !  louk  ! "  replied  the  German  coldly,  and  stooping 
down  he  lifted  up  something  which  seemed  like  a  heavy  body. 

"  But  where  are  the  others  ?  "  asked  the  duke,  impatiently, 
"  where  are  the  others  ?  " 

"  De  udders  are  vinishing  de  udders  ! " 

"  And  what  have  you  done  ?  " 

"  Vait !     You  shall  peholt !     Shtant  pack  a  liddle." 

The  duke  fell  back  a  step. 

At  that  instant  the  object  Besme  was  dragging  toward  him 
with  such  effort  became  visible. 

It  was  the  body  of  an  old  man. 

He  lifted  it  above  the  balcony,  held  it  suspended  an  instant, 
and  then  flung  it  down  at  his  master's  feet. 

The  heavy  thud,  the  billows  of  blood  spurting  from  the  body 
and  spattering  the  pavement  all  around,  filled  even  the  duke 
himself  with  horror ;  but  this  feeling  lasted  only  an  instant, 
and  curiosity  caused  every  one  to  crowd  forward,  so  that  the 
glare  of  the  torches  flickered  on  the  victim's  body. 

They  could  see  a  white  beard,  a  venerable  face,  and  limbs 
contracted  by  death. 

"  The  admiral !  "  cried  twenty  voices,  as  instantaneously 
hushed. 


THE    MASSACRE.  81 

"  Yes,  the  admiral,  here  he  is  !  "  said  the  duke,  approaching 
the  corpse,  and  contemplating  it  with  silent  ecstasy. 

"  The  admiral !  the  admiral ! "  repeated  the  witnesses  of 
this  terrible  scene,  crowding  together  and  timidly  approaching 
the  old  man,  majestic  even  in  death. 

"  Ah,  at  last,  Gaspard ! "  said  the  Duke  de  Guise,  trium- 
phantly. "  Murderer  of  my  father  !  thus  do  I  avenge  him  !  " 

And  the  duke  dared  to  plant  his  foot  on  the  breast  of  the 
Protestant  hero. 

But  instantly  the  dying  warrior  opened  his  eyes,  his  bleed- 
ing and  mutilated  hand  was  clinched  for  the  last  time,  and  the 
admiral,  though  without  stirring,  said  to  the  duke  in  a  sepul- 
chral voice : 

"  Henry  de  Guise,  some  day  the  assassin's  foot  shall  be  felt 
on  your  breast.  I  did  not  kill  your  father.  A  curse  upon 
you." 

The  duke,  pale,  and  trembling  in  spite  of  himself,  felt  a  cold 
shudder  come  over  him.  He  passed  his  hand  across  his  brow, 
as  if  to  dispel  the  fearful  vision  ;  when  he  dared  again  to 
glance  at  the  admiral  his  eyes  were  closed,  his  hand  unclinched, 
and  a  stream  of  black  blood  was  flowing  from  the  mouth  which 
had  just  pronounced  such  terrible  words. 

The  duke  raised  his  sword  with  a  gesture  of  desperate  reso- 
lution. 

"  Veil,  monsir,  are  you  gondent  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  worthy  friend,  yes,  for  you  have  revenged  " 

«  The  Dugue  Franqois,  haf  I  not  ?  " 

"  Our  religion,"  replied  Henry,  in  a  solemn  voice.  "  And 
now,"  he  went  on,  addressing  the  Swiss,  the  soldiers,  and  citi- 
zens who  filled  the  court  and  street,  "  to  work,  my  friends, 
to  work ! " 

"  Good  evening,  M.  de  Besme,"  said  Coconnas  with  a  sort  of 
admiration,  approaching  the  German,  who  still  stood  on  the 
balcony,  calmly  wiping  his  sword. 

"  So  you  settled  him,  did  you  ?  "  cried  La  Huriere ;  "  how 
did  you  manage  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  ziinbly,  zimbly  ;  he  haf  heerd  de  gommotion,  he  haf 
oben  de  door  unt  I  joost  brick  my  rabier  troo  his  potty.  But 
I  tiuk  dey  am  gilling  Teligny  now.  I  hear  his  gries  !  " 

At  that  instant,  in  fact,  several  shrieks,  apparently  uttered 
by  a  woman  in  distress,  were  heard  ;  the  windows  of  the  long 
gallery  which  formed  a  wing  of  the  hotel  were  lighted  up  with 


82  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

a  red  glare ;  two  men  were  seen  fleeing,  pursued  by  a  long  line 
of  assassins.  An  arquebuse-shot  killed  one ;  the  other,  finding 
an  open  window  directly  in  his  way,  without  stopping  to  look 
at  the  distance  from  the  ground,  sprang  boldly  into  the  court- 
yard below,  heeding  not  the  enemies  who  awaited  him  there. 

"  Kill !  kill !  "  cried  the  assassins,  seeing  their  prey  about  to 
escape  them. 

The  fugitive  picked  up  his  sword,  which  as  he  stumbled  had 
fallen  from  his  hand,  dashed  headlong  through  the  soldiers, 
upset  three  or  four,  ran  one  through  the  body,  and  amid  the 
pistol-shots  and  curses  of  the  soldiers,  rendered  furious  because 
they  had  missed  him,  darted  like  lightning  in  front  of  Cocon- 
nas,  who  was  waiting  for  him  at  the  gate  with  his  poniard  in 
his  hand. 

"  Touched !  "  cried  the  Piedmontese,  piercing  his  arm  with 
his  keen,  delicate  blade. 

"  Coward  !  "  replied  the  fugitive,  striking  his  enemy  in  the 
face  with  the  flat  of  his  weapon,  for  want  of  room  to  thrust  at 
him  with  its  point. 

"  A  thousand  devils  !  "  cried  Coconnas  ;  "  it 's  Monsieur  de 
la  Mole ! " 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  !  "  reechoed  La  Huriere  and  Maurevel. 

"  He  is  the  one  who  warned  the  admiral !  "  cried  several 
soldiers. 

"  Kill  him  —  kill  him  !  "  was  shouted  on  all  sides. 

Coconnas,  La  Huriere,  and  a  dozen  soldiers  rushed  in  pur- 
suit of  La  Mole,  who,  covered  Avith  blood,  and  having  attained 
that  state  of  exaltation  which  is  the  last  resource  of  human 
strength,  dashed  through  the  streets,  with  no  other  guide  than 
instinct.  Behind  him,  the  footsteps  and  shouts  of  his  enemies 
spurred  him  on  and  seemed  to  give  him  wings.  Occasionally 
a  bullet  would  whistle  by  his  ears  and  suddenly  add  new 
swiftness  to  his  flight  just  as  it  was  beginning  to  slacken. 
He  no  longer  breathed ;  it  was  not  breath,  but  a  dull  rattle,  a 
hoarse  panting,  that  came  from  his  chest.  Perspiration  and 
blood  wet  his  locks  and  ran  together  down  his  face. 

His  doublet  soon  became  too  oppressive  for  the  beating  of 
his  heart  and  he  tore  it  off.  Soon  his  sword  became  too  heavy 
for  his  hand  and  he  flung  it  far  away.  Sometimes  it  seemed 
to  him  that  the  footsteps  of  his  pursuers  were  farther  off  and 
that  he  was  about  to  escape  them ;  but  in  response  to  their 
shouts,  other  murderers  who  were  along  his  path  and  nearer  to 


DID    NOT    KILL  YOUR    FATHER.     A   CURSE   UPON   YOU.'1 


THE    MASSACRE,  83 

him  left  off  their  bloody  occupations  and  started  in  pursuit  of 
him. 

Suddenly  he  caught  sight  of  the  river  flowing  silently  at  his 
left ;  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  should  feel,  like  a  stag  at  bay, 
an  ineffable  pleasure  in  plunging  into  it,  and  only  the  supreme 
power  of  reason  could  restrain  him. 

On  his  right  was  the  Louvre,  dark  and  motionless,  but  full 
of  strange  and  ominous  sounds  ;  soldiers  on  the  drawbridge 
came  and  went,  and  helmets  and  cuirasses  glittered  in  the 
moonlight.  La  Mole  thought  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  as  he 
had  before  thought  of  Coligny ;  they  were  his  only  protectors. 
He  collected  all  his  strength,  and  inwardly  vowing  to  abjure 
his  faith  should  he  escape  the  massacre,  by  making  a  detour  of 
a  score  or  two  of  yards  he  misled  the  mob  pursuing  him, 
darted  straight  for  the  Louvre,  leaped  upon  the  drawbridge 
among  the  soldiers,  received  another  poniard  stab  which 
grazed  his  side,  and  despite  the  cries  of  "  Kill  —  kill ! "  which 
resounded  on  all  sides,  and  the  opposing  weapons  of  the 
sentinels,  darted  like  an  arrow  through  the  court,  into  the 
vestibule,  mounted  the  staircase,  then  up  two  stories  higher, 
recognized  a  door,  and  leaning  against  it,  struck  it  violently 
with  his  hands  and  feet. 

"  Who  is  there  ?  "  asked  a  woman's  voice. 

"  Oh,  my  God  ! "  murmured  La  Mole  ;  "  they  are  coming, 
I  hear  them  ;  't  is  I  —  't  is  I ! " 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  said  the  voice. 

La  Mole  recollected  the  pass-word. 

"  Navarre  —  Navarre  !  "  cried  he. 

The  door  instantly  opened.  La  Mole,  without  thanking, 
without  even  seeing  Gillonne,  dashed  into  the  vestibule,  then 
along  a  corridor,  through  two  or  three  chambers,  until  at  last 
he  entered  a  room  lighted  by  a  lamp  suspended  from  the  ceil- 
ing. 

Behind  curtains  of  velvet  with  gold  fleurs-de-lis,  in  a  bed  of 
carved  oak,  a  lady,  half  naked,  leaning  on  her  arm,  stared  at 
him  with  eyes  wide  open  with  terror. 

La  Mole  sprang  toward  her. 

"  Madame,"  cried  he,  "  they  are  killing,  they  are  butchering 
my  brothers  —  they  seek  to  kill  me,  to  butcher  me  also  !  Ah  ! 
you  are  the  queen  —  save  me  ! " 

And  he  threw  himself  at  her  feet,  leaving  on  the  carpet  a 
large  track  of  blood. 


84  MARGUERITE   DE    V ALOIS. 

At  the  sight  of  a  man  pale,  exhausted,  and  bleeding  at  her 
feet,  the  Queen  of  Navarre  started  up  in  terror,  hid  her  face 
in  her  hands,  and  called  for  help. 

"  Madame,"  cried  La  Mole,  endeavoring  to  rise,  "  in  the  name 
of  Heaven  do  not  call,  for  if  you  are  heard  I  am  lost !  Assas- 
sins are  in  my  track  —  they  are  rushing  up  the  stairs  behind 
me.  I  hear  them  —  there  they  are  !  there  they  are  ! " 

"  Help  ! "  cried  the  queen,  beside  herself,  "  help  !  " 

"Ah!"  said  La  Mole,  despairingly,  "you  have  killed  me. 
To  die  by  so  sweet  a  voice,  so  fair  a  hand !  I  did  not  think  it 
possible." 

At  the  same  time  the  door  flew  open,  and  a  troop  of  men, 
their  faces  covered  with  blood  and  blackened  with  powder, 
their  swords  drawn,  and  their  pikes  and  arquebuses  levelled, 
rushed  into  the  apartment. 

Coconnas  was  at  their  head  —  his  red  hair  bristling,  his 
pale  blue  eyes  extraordinarily  dilated,  his  cheek  cut  open  by 
La  Mole's  sword,  which  had  ploughed  its  bloody  furrow  there. 
Thus  disfigured,  the  Piedmontese  was  terrible  to  behold. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  he  cried,  "  there  he  is  !  there  he  is  !  Ah  ! 
this  time  we  have  him  at  last ! " 

La  Mole  looked  round  him  for  a  weapon,  but  in  vain ;  he 
glanced  at  the  queen,  and  saw  the  deepest  pity  depicted  in 
her  face ;  then  he  felt  that  she  alone  could  save  him  ;  he  threw 
his  arms  round  her. 

Coconnas  advanced,  and  with  the  point  of  his  long  rapier 
again  wounded  his  enemy's  shoulder,  and  the  crimson  drops  of 
warm  blood  stained  the  white  and  perfumed  sheets  of  Mar- 
guerite's couch. 

Marguerite  saw  the  blood  flow ;  she  felt  the  shudder  that 
ran  through  La  Mole's  frame ;  she  threw  herself  with  him 
into  the  recess  between  the  bed  and  the  wall.  It  was  time, 
for  La  Mole,  whose  strength  was  exhausted,  was  incapable  of 
flight  or  resistance  ;  he  leaned  his  pallid  head  on  Marguerite's 
shoulder,  and  his  hand  convulsively  seized  and  tore  the  thin 
embroidered  cambric  which  enveloped  Marguerite's  body  in  a 
billow  of  gauze. 

"  Oh,  madame,"  murmured  he,  in  a  dying  voice,  "  save  me." 

He  could  say  no  more.  A  mist  like  the  darkness  of  death 
came  over  his  eyes,  his  head  sunk  back,  his  arms  fell  at  his 
side,  his  legs  gave  way,  and  he  sank  on  the  floor,  bathed  in  his 
blood,  and  dragging  the  queen  with  him. 


THE    MASSACRE.  85 

At  this  moment  Coconnas,  excited  by  the  shouts,  intoxicated 
by  the  sight  of  blood,  and  exasperated  by  the  long  chase,  ad- 
vanced toward  the  recess ;  in  another  instant  his  sword  would 
have  pierced  La  Mole's  heart,  and  perhaps  Marguerite's  also. 

At  the  sight  of  the  bare  steel,  and  even  more  moved  at 
such  brutal  insolence,  the  daughter  of  kings  drew  herself  up  to 
her  full  stature  and  uttered  such  a  shriek  of  terror,  indigna- 
tion, and  rage  that  the  Piedmontese  stood  petrified  by  an  un- 
known feeling ;  and  yet  undoubtedly  had  this  scene  been  pro- 
longed and  no  other  actor  taken  part  in  it,  his  feeling  would 
have  vanished  like  a  morning  snow  under  an  April  sun.  But 
suddenly  a  secret  door  in  the  wall  opened,  and  a  pale  young 
man  of  sixteen  or  seventeen,  dressed  in  black  and  with  his 
hair  in  disorder,  rushed  in. 

"  Wait,  sister  !  "  he  cried  ;  "  here  I  am,  here  I  am  !  " 

"  Francois  !  Francois !  "  cried  Marguerite ;  "  help  !  help  !  " 

"  The  Due  d'AlenQon  !  "  murmured  La  Huriere,  grounding 
his  arquebuse. 

"  By  Heaven  !  a  son  of  France  ! "  growled  Coconnas,  drawing 
back. 

The  duke  glanced  round  him.  He  saw  Marguerite,  dishev- 
elled, more  lovely  than  ever,  leaning  against  the  wall,  sur- 
rounded by  men,  fury  in  their  eyes,  sweat  on  their  foreheads, 
and  foam  in  their  mouths. 

"  Wretches !  "  cried  he. 

"  Save  me,  brother ! "  shrieked  Marguerite.  "  They  are 
going  to  kill  me  !  " 

A  flame  flashed  across  the  duke's  pallid  face. 

He  was  unarmed,  but  sustained,  no  doubt,  by  the  conscious- 
ness of  his  rank,  he  advanced  with  clinched  fists  toward 
Coconnas  and  his  companions,  who  retreated,  terrified  at  the 
lightning  darting  from  his  eyes. 

"  Ha  !  and  will  you  murder  a  son  of  France,  too  ?  "  cried 
the  duke.  Then,  as  they  recoiled,  —  "  Ho,  there  !  captain  of 
the  guard  !  Hang  every  one  of  these  ruffians  !  " 

More  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  this  weaponless  young  man 
than  he  would  have  been  at  the  aspect  of  a  regiment  of  reiters 
or  lansquenets,  Coconnas  had  already  reached  the  door.  La 
Huriere  was  leaping  downstairs  like  a  deer,  and  the  soldiers 
were  jostling  and  pushing  one  another  in  the  vestibule  in 
their  endeavors  to  escape,  finding  the  door  far  too  small 
for  their  great  desire  to  be  outside  it.  Meantime  Marguerite 


86  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

had  instinctively  thrown  the  damask  coverlid  of  her  bed  over 
La  Mole,  and  withdrawn  from  him. 

When  the  last  murderer  had  departed  the  Due  d'Alenqon 
came  back  : 

"  Sister,"  he  cried,  seeing  Marguerite  all  dabbled  with  blood, 
"  are  you  wounded  ?  "  And  he  sprang  toward  his  sister  with 
a  solicitude  which  would  have  done  credit  to  his  affection  if 
he  had  not  been  charged  with  harboring  too  deep  an  affection 
for  a  brother  to  entertain  for  a  sister. 

"  No,"  said  she ;  "  I  think  not,  or,  if  so,  very  slightly." 

"  But  this  blood,"  said  the  duke,  running  his  trembling  hands 
all  over  Marguerite's  body.  "  Where  does  it  come  from  ?  " 

"  I  know  not,"  replied  she ;  "  one  of  those  wretches  laid  his 
hand  on  me,  and  perhaps  he  was  wounded." 

"  What !  "  cried  the  duke,  "  he  dared  to  touch  my  sister  ? 
Oh,  if  you  had  only  pointed  him  out  to  me,  if  you  had  told 
me  which  one  it  was,  if  I  knew  where  to  find  him  " 

"  Hush !  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  And  why  ?  "  asked  Franqois. 

"Because  if  you  were  seen  at  this  time  of  night  in  my 
room  " 

"  Can't  a  brother  visit  his  sister,  Marguerite  ?  " 

The  queen  gave  the  duke  a  look  so  keen  and  yet  so  threaten- 
ing that  the  young  man  drew  back. 

"  Yes,  yes,  Marguerite,"  said  he,  "  you  are  right,  I  will  go 
to  my  room ;  but  you  cannot  remain  alone  this  dreadful  night. 
Shall  I  call  Gillonne  ?  " 

"  No,  no  !  leave  me,  Francois  —  leave  me.  Go  by  the  way 
you  came ! " 

The  young  prince  obeyed ;  and  hardly  had  he  disappeared 
when  Marguerite,  hearing  a  sigh  from  behind  her  bed,  hur- 
riedly bolted  the  door  of  the  secret  passage,  and  then  hastening 
to  the  other  entrance  closed  it  in  the  same  way,  just  as  a  troop 
of  archers  and  soldiers  like  a  hurricane  dashed  by  in  hot  chase 
of  some  other  Huguenot  residents  in  the  Louvre. 

After  glancing  round  to  assure  herself  that  she  was  really 
alone,  she  again  went  to  the  "  ruelle "  of  her  bed,  lifted  the 
damask  covering  which  had  concealed  La  Mole  from  the  Due 
d'Alengon,  and  drawing  the  apparently  lifeless  body,  by  great 
exertion,  into  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  finding  that  the 
victim  still  breathed,  sat  down,  placed  his  head  on  her  knees, 
and  sprinkled  his  face  with  water. 


THE    MASSACRE.  87 

Then  as  the  water  cleared  away  the  mask  of  blood,  dust,  and 
gunpowder  which  had  covered  his  face,  Marguerite  recognized 
the  handsome  cavalier  who,  full  of  life  and  hope,  had  three  or 
four  hours  before  come  to  ask  her  to  look  out  for  his  interests 
with  her  protection  and  that  of  the  King  of  Navarre ;  and  had 
gone  away,  dazzled  by  her  beauty,  leaving  her  also  impressed 
by  his. 

Marguerite  uttered  a  cry  of  terror,  for  now  what  she  felt  for 
the  wounded  man  was  more  than  mere  pity  —  it  was  interest. 
He  was  no  longer  a  mere  stranger :  he  was  almost  an  acquaint- 
ance. By  her  care  La  Mole's  fine  features  soon  reappeared, 
free  from  stain,  but  pale  and  distorted  by  pain.  A  shudder 
ran  through  her  whole  frame  as  she  tremblingly  placed  her 
hand  on  his  heart.  It  was  still  beating.  Then  she  took  a 
smelling-bottle  from  the  table,  and  applied  it  to  his  nostrils. 

La  Mole  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Oh  !  man  Dieu  f  "  murmured  he  ;  "  where  am  I  ?  " 

"  Saved  ! "  said  Marguerite.  "  Reassure  yourself  —  you  are 
saved." 

La  Mole  turned  his  eyes  on  the  queen,  gazed  earnestly  for  a 
moment,  and  murmured, 

"  Oh,  how  beautiful  you  are !  " 

Then  as  if  the  vision  were  too  much  for  him,  he  closed  his 
lids  and  drew  a  sigh. 

Marguerite  started.  He  had  become  still  paler  than  before, 
if  that  were  possible,  and  for  an  instant  that  sigh  was  his  last. 

"  Oh,  my  God  !  my  God!"  she  ejaculated,  "have  pity  on 
him  ! " 

At  this  moment  a  violent  knocking  was  heard  at  the  door. 
Marguerite  half  raised  herself,  still  supporting  La  Mole. 

"  Who  is  there  ?  "  she  cried. 

"  Madame,  it  is  I  —  it  is  I,"  replied  a  woman's  voice,  "  the 
Duchesse  de  Nevers." 

"  Henriette  !  "  cried  Marguerite.  "  There  is  no  danger ;  it 
is  a  friend  of  mine  !  Do  you  hear,  sir  ?  " 

La  Mole  with  some  effort  got  up  on  one  knee. 

"  Try  to  support  yourself  while  I  go  and  open  the  door," 
said  the  queen. 

La  Mole  rested  his  hand  on  the  floor  and  succeeded  in  hold- 
ing himself  upright. 

Marguerite  took  one  step  toward  the  door,  but  suddenly 
stopped,  shivering  with  terror. 


88  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Ah,  you  are  not  alone  !  "  she  said,  hearing  the  clash  of 
arms  outside. 

"  No,  I  have  twelve  guards  which  my  brother-in-law,  Mon- 
sieur de  Guise,  assigned  me." 

"  Monsieur  de  Guise  !  "  murmured  La  Mole.  "  The  assassin 
—  the  assassin  !  " 

"  Silence  !  "  said  Marguerite.     "  Not  a  word  !  " 

And  she  looked  round  to  see  where  she  could  conceal  the 
wounded  man. 

"  A  sword  !  a  dagger  !  "  muttered  La  Mole. 

"  To  defend  yourself  —  useless  !  Did  you  not  hear  ?  There 
are  twelve  of  them,  and  you  are  alone." 

"  Not  to  defend  myself,  but  that  I  may  not  fall  alive  into 
their  hands." 

"  No,  no ! "  said  Marguerite.  "  No,  I  will  save  you.  Ah  ! 
this  cabinet !  Come  !  come. " 

La  Mole  made  an  effort,  and,  supported  by  Marguerite, 
dragged  himself  to  the  cabinet.  Marguerite  locked  the  door 
upon  him,  and  hid  the  key  in  her  alms-purse. 

"  Not  a  cry,  not  a  groan,  not  a  sigh,"  whispered  she,  through 
the  panelling,  "  and  you  are  saved." 

Then  hastily  throwing  a  night-robe  over  her  shoulders, 
she  opened  the  door  for  her  friend,  who  tenderly  embraced 
her. 

"  Ah !  "  cried  Madame  Nevers,  "  then  nothing  has  happened 
to  you,  madame !  " 

"No,  nothing  at  all,"  replied  Marguerite,  wrapping  the 
mantle  still  more  closely  round  her  to  conceal  the  spots  of 
blood  on  her  peignoir. 

"  'T  is  well.  However,  as  Monsieur  de  Guise  has  given  me 
twelve  of  his  guards  to  escort  me  to  his  hotel,  and  as  I  do  not 
need  such  a  large  company,  I  am  going  to  leave  six  with  your 
majesty.  Six  of  the  duke's  guards  are  worth  a  regiment  of 
the  King's  to-night." 

Marguerite  dared  not  refuse ;  she  placed  the  soldiers  in  the 
corridor,  and  embraced  the  duchess,  who  then  returned  to  the 
Hotel  de  Guise,  where  she  resided  in  her  husband's  absence. 


THE    MURDERERS.  89 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  MURDERERS. 

COCONNAS  had  not  fled,  he  had  retreated ;  La  Huriere  had 
not  fled,  he  had  flown.  The  one  had  disappeared  like  a  tiger, 
the  other  like  a  wolf. 

The  consequence  was  that  La  Huriere  had  already  reached 
the  Place  Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois  when  Cocounas  was  only 
just  leaving  the  Louvre. 

La  Huriere,  finding  himself  alone  with  his  arquebuse,  while 
around  him  men  were  running,  bullets  were  whistling,  and 
bodies  were  falling  from  windows, —  some  whole,  others  dis- 
membered,—  began  to  be  afraid  and  was  prudently  thinking  of 
returning  to  his  tavern,  but  as  he  turned  into  the  Rue  de 
1'Arbre  Sec  from  the  Rue  d'Averon  he  fell  in  with  a  troop  of 
Swiss  and  light  cavalry :  it  was  the  one  commanded  by 
Maurevel. 

"  Well,"  cried  Maurevel,  who  had  christened  himself  with 
the  nickname  of  King's  Killer,  "  have  you  finished  so  soon  ? 
Are  you  going  back  to  your  tavern,  worthy  landlord  ?  And 
what  the  devil  have  you  done  with  our  Piedmontese  gentle- 
man ?  No  misfortune  has  happened  to  him  ?  That  would  be  a 
shame,  for  he  started  out  well." 

"  No,  I  think  not,"  replied  La  Huriere ;  "  I  hope  he  will 
rejoin  us  ! " 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?  " 

"  At  the  Louvre,  and  I  must  say  we  were  very  rudely  treated 
there." 

"  By  whom  ?  " 

"Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alenqon.  Isn't  he  interested  in  this 
affair  ?  " 

"  Monseigneur  le  Due  d' Alenc.cn  is  not  interested  in  anything 
which  does  not  concern  himself  personally.  Propose  to  treat 
his  two  older  brothers  as  Huguenots  and  he  would  be  in  it  — 
provided  only  that  the  work  should  be  done  without  compromis- 
ing him.  But  won't  you  go  with  these  worthy  fellows,  Maitre 
La  Huriere?" 

"  And  where  are  they  going  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mon  Dieu !    Rue  Montorguen ;    there  is  a  Huguenot 


90  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

minister  there  whom  I  know ;  he  has  a  wife  and  six  children. 
These  heretics  are  enormous  breeders ;  it  will  be  interesting." 

"  And  where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  have  a  little  private  business." 

"  Say,  there  !  don't  go  off  without  me,"  said  a  voice  which 
made  Maurevel  start,  "you  know  all  the  good  places  and  I 
want  to  have  my  share." 

"  Ah !  it  is  our  Piedmontese,"  said  Maurevel. 

"  Yes,  it  is  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,"  said  La  Huriere ;  "  I 
thought  you  were  following  me." 

"  Hang  it !  you  made  off  too  swiftly  for  that ;  and  besides 
I  turned  a  little  to  one  side  so  as  to  fling  into  the  river  a  fright- 
ful child  who  was  screaming,  '  Down  with  the  Papists  !  Long 
live  the  admiral ! '  Unfortunately,  I  believe  the  little  rascal 
knew  how  to  swim.  These  miserable  heretics  must  be  flung 
into  the  water  like  cats  before  their  eyes  are  opened  if  they 
are  to  be  drowned  at  all." 

"Ah!  you  say  you  are  just  from  the  Louvre;  so  your 
Huguenot  took  refuge  there,  did  he  ?  "  asked  Maurevel. 

"  Man  Dieu  !  yes." 

"  I  gave  him  a  pistol-shot  at  the  moment  when  he  was  pick- 
ing up  his  sword  in  the  admiral's  court-yard,  but  I  somehow 
or  other  missed  him." 

"  Well,  I  did  not  miss  him,"  added  Coconnas ;  "  I  gave  him 
such  a  thrust  in  the  back  that  my  sword  was  wet  five  inches 
up  the  blade.  Besides,  I  saw  him  fall  into  the  arms  of 
Madame  Marguerite,  a  pretty  woman,  by  Heaven !  yet  I  confess 
I  should  not  be  sorry  to  hear  he  was  really  dead  ;  the  vagabond 
is  infernally  spiteful,  and  capable  of  bearing  me  a  grudge  all 
his  life.  But  did  n't  you  say  you  were  bound  somewhere  ?  " 

"  Why,  do  you  mean  to  go  with  me  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  like  standing  still,  by  Heaven  !  I  have  killed 
only  three  or  four  as  yet,  and  when  I  get  cold  my  shoulder 
pains  me.  Forward  !  forward  ! " 

"  Captain,"  said  Maurevel  to  the  commander  of  the  troop, 
"  give  me  three  men,  and  go  and  despatch  your  parson  with 
the  rest." 

Three  Swiss  stepped  forward  and  joined  Maurevel.  Never- 
theless, the  two  companies  proceeded  side  by  side  till  they 
reached  the  top  of  the  Rue  Tirechappe  ;  there  the  light  horse 
and  the  Swiss  took  the  Rue  de  la  Tonnellerie,  while  Maurevel, 
Coconnas,  La  Huriere,  and  his  three  men  were  proceeding  down 


THE    MURDERERS.  91 

the  Rue  Trousse  Vache  and  entering  the  Rue  Sainte  Avoye. 
"  Where  the  devil  are  you  taking  us  ?  "  asked  Coconnas,  who 
was  beginning  to  be  bored  by  this  long  march  from  which  he 
could  see  no  results. 

"  I  am  taking  you  on  an  expedition  at  once  brilliant  and  use- 
ful. Next  to  the  admiral,  next  to  Teligny,  next  to  the  Hugue- 
not princes,  I  could  offer  you  nothing  better.  So  have  pa- 
tience, our  business  calls  us  to  the  Rue  du  Ghaume,  and  we 
shall  be  there  in  a  second." 

"  Tell  me,"  said  Coconnas,  "  is  not  the  Rue  du  Chaume  near 
the  Temple  ?  " 

"  Yes,  why  ?  " 

"  Because  an  old  creditor  of  our  family  lives  there,  one 
Lambert  Mercandon,  to  whom  my  father  wished  me  to  hand 
over  a  hundred  rose  nobles  I  have  in  my  pocket  for  that  pur- 
pose." 

"  Well,"  replied  Maurevel,  "  this  is  a  good  opportunity  for 
paying  it.  This  is  the  day  for  settling  old  accounts.  Is  your 
Mercandon  a  Huguenot  ?  " 

"  Oho,  I  understand  !  "  said  Coconnas ;  "  he  must  be  "- 

"  Hush  !  here  we  are." 

"  What  is  that  large  hotel,  with  its  entrance  in  the  street  ?  " 

«  The  Hotel  de  Guise." 

"  Truly,"  returned  Coconnas,  "  I  should  not  have  failed  to 
come  here,  as  I  am  under  the  patronage  of  the  great  Henry. 
But,  by  Heaven  !  all  is  so  very  quiet  in  this  quarter,  we 
scarcely  hear  any  firing,  and  we  might  fancy  ourselves  in  the 
country.  The  devil  fetch  me  but  every  one  is  asleep !  " 

And  indeed  the  Hotel  de  Guise  seemed  as  quiet  as  in  ordi- 
nary times.  All  the  windows  were  closed,  and  a  solitary  light 
was  burning  behind  the  blind  of  the  principal  window  over 
the  entrance  which  had  attracted  Coconnas's  attention  as  soon 
as  they  entered  the  street. 

Just  beyond  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  in  other  words,  at  the  corner 
of  the  Rue  du  Petit  Chantier  and  the  Rue  des  Quatre  Fils, 
Maurevel  halted. 

"  Here  is  the  house  of  the  man  we  want,"  said  he. 

"  Of  the  man  you  want  —  that  is  to  say "  —  observed  La 
Huriere. 

"  Since  you  are  with  me  we  want  him." 

"  What !  that  house  which  seems  so  sound  asleep  "  — 

"  Exactly  !  La  Huriere,  now  go  and  make   practical  use  of 


92  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

the  plausible  face  which  heaven,  by  some  blunder,  gave  you, 
and  knock  at  that  house.  Hand  your  arquebuse  to  M.  de 
Coconnas,  who  has  been  ogling  it  this  last  half  hour.  If  you 
are  admitted,  you  must  ask  to  speak  to  Seigneur  de  Mouy." 

"Aha!"  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "now  I  understand  —  you 
also  have  a  creditor  in  the  quarter  of  the  Temple,  it  would 
seem." 

"  Exactly  so !  "  responded  Maurevel.  "  You  will  go  up  to 
him  pretending  to  be  a  Huguenot,  and  inform  De  Mouy  of  all 
that  has  taken  place;  he  is  brave,  and  will  come  down." 

"  And  once  down  ?  "  asked  La  Huriere. 

"  Once  down,  I  will  beg  of  him  to  cross  swords  with  me." 

"  On  my  soul,  't  is  a  fine  gentleman's,"  said  Coconnas,  "  and 
1  propose  to  do  exactly  the  same  thing  with  Lambert  Mercan- 
donj'aud  if  he  is  too  old  to  respond,  I  will  try  it  with  one  of 
his  sons  or  nephews." 

La  Huriere,  without  making  any  reply,  went  and  knocked 
at  the  door,  and  the  sounds  echoing  in  the  silence  of  the  night 
caused  the  doors  of  the  Hotel  de  Guise  to  open,  and  several 
heads  to  make  their  appearance  from  out  them ;  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  hotel  was  quiet  after  the  manner  of  citadels, 
that  is  to  say,  because  it  was  filled  with  soldiers. 

The  heads  were  almost  instantly  withdrawn,  as  doubtless  an 
inkling  of  the  matter  in  hand  was  divined. 

"  Does  your  Monsieur  de  Mouy  live  here  ?  "  inquired  Co- 
connas, pointing  to  the  house  at  which  La  Huriere  was  still 
knocking, 

"  No,  but  his  mistress  does." 

"  By  Heaven  !  how  gallant  you  are,  to  give  him  an  occa- 
sion to  draw  sword  in  the  presence  of  his  lady-love  !  We  shall 
be  the  judges  of  the  field.  However,  I  should  like  very  well 
to  fight  myself  —  my  shoulder  burns." 

"  And  your  face,"  added  Maurevel,  "  is  considerably 
damaged." 

Coconnas  uttered  a  kind  of  growl. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  he  said,  "  I  hope  he  is  dead ;  if  I  thought 
not,  I  would  return  to  the  Louvre  and  finish  him." 

La  Huriere  still  kept  knocking. 

Soon  the  window  on  the  first  floor  opened,  and  a  man 
appeared  in  the  balcony,  in  a  nightcap  and  drawers,  and 
unarmed. 

"  Who  's  there  ?  "  cried  he. 


THE    MURDERERS.  93 

Maurevel  made  a  sign  to  the  Swiss,  who  retreated  into  a 
corner,  whilst  Cocounas  stood  close  against  the  wall. 

"  Ah !  Monsieur  de  Mouy  !  "  said  the  innkeeper,  in  his 
blandest  tones,  "is  that  you?" 

"  Yes  ;  what  then  ?  " 

"  It  is  he  ! "  said  Maurevel,  with  a  thrill  of  joy. 

"  Why,  sir,"  continued  La  Huriere,  "  do  you  not  know  what 
is  going  on  ?  They  are  murdering  the  admiral,  and  massa- 
cring all  of  our  religion.  Hasten  to  their  assistance  ;  come ! " 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  De  Mouy,  "I  feared  something  was 
plotted  for  this  night.  I  ought  not  to  have  deserted  my 
worthy  comrades.  I  will  come,  my  friend,  —  wait  for  me." 

And  without  closing  the  window,  through  which  a  frightened 
woman  could  be  heard  uttering  lamentations  and  tender  en- 
treaties, Monsieur  de  Mouy  got  his  doublet,  his  mantle,  and  his 
weapons. 

"  He  is  coming  down  !  He  is  coming  down  ! "  muttered 
Maurevel,  pale  with  joy.  "  Attention,  the  rest  of  you !  "  he 
whispered  to  the  Swiss. 

Then  taking  the  arquebuse  from  Coconnas  he  blew  on  the 
tinder  to  make  sure  that  it  was  still  alight. 

"Here,  La  Huriere,"  he  added,  addressing  the  innkeeper, 
who  had  rejoined  the  main  body  of  the  company,  "  here,  take 
your  arquebuse  ! " 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "  the  moon  is  coming 
out  of  the  clouds  to  witness  this  beautiful  fight.  I  would 
give  a  great  deal  if  Lambert  Mercandon  were  here,  to  serve  as 
Monsieur  de  Mouy's  second." 

"  Wait,  wait !  "  said  Maurevel ;  "  Monsieur  de  Mouy  alone 
is  equal  to  a  dozen  men,  and  it  is  likely  that  we  six  shall  have 
enough  to  do  to  despatch  him.  Forward,  my  men !  "  con- 
tinued Maurevel,  making  a  sign  to  the  Swiss  to  stand  by  the 
door,  in  order  to  strike  De  Mouy  as  he  came  forth. 

"Oho!"  said  Coconnas,  as  he  watched  these  arrangements; 
"  it  appears  that  this  will  not  corne  off  quite  as  I  expected." 

Already  the  noise  made  by  De  Mouy  in  withdrawing  the 
bar  was  heard.  The  Swiss  had  left  their  hiding-place  to 
arrange  themselves  near  the  door,  Maurevel  and  La  Huriere 
were  going  forward  on  tip-toe,  and  Coconnas  with  a  dying 
gleam  of  gentlemanly  feeling  was  standing  where  he  was, 
when  the  young  woman  who  had  been  for  the  moment  utterly 
forgotten  suddenly  appeared  on  the  balcony  and  uttered  a 


94  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

terrible  shriek  at  the  sight  of  the  Swiss,  Maurevel,  and  La 
Huriere. 

De  Mouy,  who  had  already  half  opened  the  door,  paused. 

"  Couie  back  !  come  back !  "  cried  the  young  woman.  "  I 
see  swords  glitter,  and  the  match  of  an  arquebuse  —  there  is 
treachery  ! " 

"  Oho ! "  said  the  young  man ;  "  let  us  see,  then,  what  all  this 
means." 

And  he  closed  the  door,  replaced  the  bar,  and  went  upstairs 
again. 

Maurevel's  order  of  battle  was  changed  as  soon  as  he  saw 
that  De  Mouy  was  not  going  to  come  out.  The  Swiss  went 
and  posted  themselves  at  the  other  corner  of  the  street,  and  La 
Huriere,  with  his  arquebuse  in  his  hand,  waited  till  the  enemy 
reappeared  at  the  window. 

He  did  not  wait  long.  De  Mouy  came  forward  holding  be- 
fore him  two  pistols  of  such  respectable  length  that  La 
Huriere,  who  was  already  aiming,  suddenly  reflected  that  the 
Huguenot's  bullets  had  no  farther  to  fly  in  reaching  the  street 
from  the  balcony  than  his  had  in  reaching  the  balcony. 

"  Assuredly,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  I  may  kill  this  gentleman, 
but  likewise  this  gentleman  may  kill  me  in  the  same  way." 

Now  as  Maitre  La  Huriere,  an  innkeeper  by  profession, 
was  only  accidentally  a  soldier,  this  reflection  determined 
him  to  retreat  and  seek  shelter  in  the  corner  of  the  Rue 
de  Braque,  far  enough  away  to  cause  him  some  difficulty  in 
finding  with  a  certain  certainty,  especially  at  night,  the  line 
which  a  bullet  from  his  arquebuse  would  take  in  reaching  De 
Mouy. 

De  Mouy  cast  a  glance  around  him,  and  advanced  cautiously 
like  a  man  preparing  to  fight  a  duel ;  but  seeing  nothing,  he 
exclaimed : 

"  Why,  it  appears,  my  worthy  informant,  that  you  have 
forgotten  your  arquebuse  at  my  door  !  Here  I  am.  What  do 
you  want  with  me  ?  " 

"  Aha ! "  said  Goconnas  to  himself ;  "  he  is  certainly  a  brave 
fellow  !  " 

"  Well,"  continued  De  Mouy,  "  friends  or  enemies,  whichever 
you  are,  do  you  not  see  I  arn  waiting  ?  " 

La  Huriere  kept  silence,  Maurevel  made  no  reply,  and  the 
three  Swiss  remained  in  covert. 

Coconnas  waited  an  instant ;  then,  seeing  that  no  one  took 


THE    MURDERERS.  95 

part  in  the  conversation  begun  by  La  Huriere  and  continued 
by  De  Mouy,  he  left  his  station,  and  advancing  into  the  middle 
of  the  street,  took  off  his  hat  and  said  : 

"  Sir,  we  are  not  here  for  an  assassination,  as  you  seem  to 
suppose,  but  for  a  duel.  I  am  here  with  one  of  your  enemies, 
who  was  desirous  of  meeting  you  to  end  gallantly  an  old  con- 
troversy. Eh,  by  Heaven !  come  forward,  Monsieur  de  Maure- 
vel,  instead  of  turning  your  back.  The  gentleman  accepts." 

"  Maurevel !  "  cried  De  Mouy  ;  "  Maurevel,  the  assassin  of 
my  father !  Maurevel,  the  king's  assassin  !  Ah,  by  Heaven  ! 
Yes,  I  accept." 

And  taking  aim  at  Maurevel,  who  was  about  to  knock  at  the 
Hotel  de  Guise  to  request  a  reinforcement,  he  sent  a  bullet 
through  his  hat. 

At  the  noise  of  the  report  and  Maurevel's  shouts,  the  guard 
which  had  escorted  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  came  o\\t,  accom- 
panied by  three  or  four  gentlemen,  followed  by  their  pages, 
and  approached  the  house  of  young  De  Mouy's  mistress. 

A  second  pistol-shot,  fired  into  the  midst  of  the  troop,  killed 
the  soldier  next  to  Maurevel ;  after  which  De  Mouy,  finding 
himself  weaponless,  or  at  least  with  useless  weapons,  for  his 
pistols  had  been  fired  and  his  adversaries  were  beyond  the 
reach  of  his  sword,  took  shelter  behind  the  balcony  gallery. 

Meantime  here  and  there  windows  began  to  be  thrown  open 
in  the  neighborhood,  and  according  to  the  pacific  or  bellicose 
dispositions  of  their  inhabitants,  were  barricaded  or  bristled 
with  muskets  and  arquebuses. 

"  Help  !  my  worthy  Mercandon,"  shouted  De  Mouy,  beckon- 
ing to  an  elderly  man  who,  from  a  window  which  had  just 
been  thrown  open  in  front  of  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  was  trying 
to  make  out  the  cause  of  the  confusion. 

"  Is  it  you  who  call,  Sire  de  Mouy  ? "  cried  the  old  man  : 
"  are  they  attacking  you  ?  " 

"  Me  —  you  —  all  the  Protestants  ;  and  wait  —  there  is  the 
proof  !  " 

That  moment  De  Mouy  had  seen  La  Huriere  aim  his  arque- 
buse  at  him ;  it  was  fired  ;  but  the  young  man  had  time  to 
stoop,  and  the  ball  broke  a  window  above  his  head. 

"  Mercandon  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  who,  in  his  delight  at 
sight  of  this  fray,  had  forgotten  his  creditor,  but  was  reminded 
of  him  by  De  Mouy's  apostrophe ;  "  Mercandon,  Rue  du 


96  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Chaume  —  that  is  it !  Ah,  he  lives  there  !  Good  !  Each  of 
us  will  settle  accounts  with  our  man." 

And,  while  the  people  from  the  Hotel  de  Guise  were  break- 
ing in  the  doors  of  De  Mouy's  house,  and  Maurevel,  with  a 
torch  in  his  hand,  was  trying  to  set  it  on  fire  —  while  now 
that  the  doors  were  once  broken,  there  was  a  fearful  struggle 
with  a  single  antagonist  who  at  each  rapier-thrust  brought 
down  his  foe  —  Coconnas  tried,  by  the  help  of  a  paving-stone, 
to  break  in  Mercandon's  door,  and  the  latter,  unmoved  by  this 
solitary  effort,  was  doing  his  best  with  his  arquebuse  out  of 
his  window. 

And  now  all  this  dark  and  deserted  quarter  was  lighted  up, 
as  if  by  open  day,  —  peopled  like  the  interior  of  an  ant-hive ; 
for  from  the  Hotel  de  Montmorency  six  or  eight  Huguenot 
gentlemen,  with  their  servants  and  friends,  had  just  made  a 
furious  charge,  and,  supported  by  the  firing  from  the  windows, 
were  beginning  to  repulse  Maurevel's  and  the  De  Guises'  force, 
who  at  length  were  driven  back  to  the  place  whence  they  had 
come. 

Coconnas,  who  had  not  yet  succeeded  in  smashing  Mercan- 
don's door,  though  he  was  working  at  it  with  all  his  might,  was 
caught  in  this  sudden  retreat.  Placing  his  back  to  the  wall, 
and  grasping  his  sword  firmly,  he  began  not  only  to  defend 
himself,  but  to  attack  his  assailants,  with  cries  so  terrible  that 
they  were  heard  above  all  the  uproar.  He  struck  right  and 
left,  hitting  friends  and  enemies,  until  a  wide  space  was 
cleared  around  him.  As  his  rapier  made  a  hole  in  some 
breast,  and  the  warm  blood  spurted  over  his  hands  and  face, 
he,  with  dilated  eye,  expanded  nostrils,  and  clinched  teeth,  re- 
gained the  ground  lost,  and  again  approached  the  beleaguered 
house. 

De  Mouy,  after  a  terrible  combat  in  the  staircase  and  hall, 
had  finally  come  out  of  the  burning  house  like  a  true  hero.  In 
the  midst  of  all  the  struggle  he  had  not  ceased  to  cry,  "  Here, 
Maurevel  !  —  Maurevel,  where  are  you  ?  "  insulting  him  by  the 
most  opprobrious  epithets. 

He  at  length  appeared  in  the  street,  supporting  on  one  arm 
his  mistress,  half  naked  and  nearly  fainting,  and  holding  a 
poniard  between  his  teeth.  His  sword,  flaming  by  the  sweep- 
ing action  he  gave  it,  traced  circles  of  white  or  red,  according 
as  the  moon  glittered  on  the  blade  or  a  flambeau  glared  on  its 
blood-stained  brightness. 


THE    MURDERERS.  97 

Maurevel  had  fled.  La  Huriere,  driven  back  by  De  Mouy 
as  far  as  Coconnas,  who  did  not  recognize  him,  and  received 
him  at  sword's  point,  was  begging  for  mercy  on  both  sides. 
At  this  moment  Mercandon  perceived  him,  and  knew  him,  by 
his  white  scarf,  to  be  one  of  the  murderers.  He  fired.  La 
Huriere  shrieked,  threw  up  his  arms,  dropped  his  arquebuse, 
and,  after  having  vainly  attempted  to  reach  the  wall,  in  order 
to  support  himself,  fell  with  his  face  flat  on  the  earth. 

De  Mouy  took  advantage  of  this  circumstance,  turned  down 
the  Rue  de  Paradis,  and  disappeared. 

Such  had  been  the  resistance  of  the  Huguenots  that  the  De 
Guise  party,  quite  repulsed,  had  retired  into  their  hotel,  fear- 
ing to  be  besieged  and  taken  in  their  own  habitation. 

Coconnas  who,  intoxicated  with  blood  and  tumult,  had 
reached  that  degree  of  excitement  when,  with  the  men  of  the 
south  more  especially,  courage  changes  into  madness,  had  not 
seen  or  heard  anything,  and  noticed  only  that  there  was  not 
such  a  roar  in  his  ears,  and  that  his  hands  and  face  were  a 
little  dryer  than  they  had  been.  Dropping  the  point  of  his 
sword,  he  saw  near  him  a  man  lying  face  downward  in  a  red 
stream,  and  around  him  burning  houses. 

It  was  a  very  short  truce,  for  just  as  he  was  approaching 
this  man,  whom  he  recognized  as  La  Huriere,  the  door  of  the 
house  he  had  in  vain  tried  to  burst  in,  opened,  and  old  Mercan- 
don, followed  by  his  son  and  two  nephews,  rushed  upon  him. 

"  Here  he  is  !  here  he  is  ! "  cried  they  all,  with  one  voice. 

Coconnas  was  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  fearing  to  be 
surrounded  by  these  four  men  who  assailed  him  at  once, 
sprang  backward  with  the  agility  of  one  of  the  chamois  which 
he  had  so  often  hunted  in  his  native  mountains,  and  in  an 
instant  found  himself  with  his  back  against  the  wall  of  the 
Hotel  de  Guise.  Once  at  ease  as  to  not  being  surprised  from 
behind  he  put  himself  in  a  posture  of  defence,  and  said,  jest- 
ingly. 

"  Aha,  father  Mercandon,  don't  you  know  rne  ?  " 

"  Wretch  ! "  cried  the  old  Huguenot,  "  I  know  you  well ; 
you  are  engaged  against  me  —  me,  your  father's  friend  and 
companion." 

"  And  his  creditor,  are  you  not  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  his  creditor,  as  you  say." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  have  come  to  settle  our 
accounts." 


98  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Seize  him,  bind  him  !  "  said  Mercandon  to  the  young  men 
who  accompanied  him,  and  who  at  his  bidding  rushed  toward 
the  Piedmontese. 

"  One  moment !  one  moment ! "  said  Coconnas,  laughing, 
"  to  seize  a  man  you  must  have  a  writ,  and  you  have  forgotten 
to  secure  one  from  the  provost." 

And  with  these  words  he  crossed  his  sword  with  the  young 
man  nearest  to  him  and  at  the  first  blow  cut  his  wrist. 

The  wounded  man  retreated  with  a  howl. 

"  That  will  do  for  one !  "  said  Coconnas. 

At  the  same  moment  the  window  under  which  Coconnas 
had  sought  shelter  opened  noisily.  He  sprang  to  one  side, 
fearing  an  attack  from  behind ;  but  instead  of  an  enemy  he 
saw  a  woman  ;  instead  of  the  enemy's  weapon  he  was  pre- 
pared to  encounter,  a  nosegay  fell  at  his  feet. 

"  Ah ! "  he  said,  "  a  woman  !  " 

He  saluted  the  lady  with  his  sword,  and  stooped  to  pick  up 
the  bouquet. 

"  Be  on  your  guard,  brave  Catholic  !  —  be  on  your  guard  ! " 
cried  the  lady. 

Coconnas  rose,  but  not  before  the  second  nephew's  dagger 
had  pierced  his  cloak,  and  wounded  his  other  shoulder. 

The  lady  uttered  a  piercing  shriek. 

Coconnas  thanked  her,  assured  her  by  a  gesture,  and  then 
made  a  pass,  which  the  nephew  parried  ;  but  at  the  second 
thrust,  his  foot  slipped  in  the  blood,  and  Coconnas,  springing 
at  him  like  a  tiger-cat,  drove  his  sword  through  his  breast. 

"  Good !  good  !  brave  cavalier  !  "  exclaimed  the  lady  of  the 
Hotel  de  Guise,  "  good !  I  will  send  you  succor." 

"  Do  not  give  yourself  any  trouble  about  that,  madame," 
was  Coconnas's  reply  ;  "  rather  look  on  to  the  end,  if  it  inter- 
ests you,  and  see  how  the  Comte  Annibal  de  Coconnas  settles 
the  Huguenots." 

At  this  moment  old  Mercandon's  son  aimed  a  pistol  at  close 
range  to  Coconnas,  and  fired.  The  count  fell  on  his  knee. 
The  lady  at  the  window  shrieked  again  ;  but  Coconnas  rose 
instantly  ;  he  had  knelt  only  to  avoid  the  bullet,  which  struck 
the  wall  about  two  feet  beneath  where  the  lady  was  standing. 

Almost  at  the  same  moment  a  cry  of  rage  issued,  from  the 
window  of  Mercandon's  house,  and  an  old  woman,  who  recog- 
nized Coconnas  as  a  Catholic,  from  his  white  scarf  and  cross, 
hurled  a  flower-pot  at  him,  which  struck  him  above  the  knee. 


THE    MURDERERS.  99 

"  Capital ! "  said  Coconnas  ;  "  one  throws  flowers  at  me  and 
at  the  other,  flower-pots  ;  if  this  goes  on,  they  '11  be  tearing 
houses  down  ! " 

"  Thanks,  mother,  thanks  !  "  said  the  young  man. 

"  Go  on,  wife,  go  on,"  said  old  Mercandon ;  "  but  take  care 
of  yourself." 

"  Wait,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  wait ! "  said  the  young 
woman  of  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  "  I  will  have  them  shoot  at  the 
windows  !  " 

"  Ah  !  So  it  is  a  hell  of  women,  is  it  ?  "  said  Coconnas. 
"  Some  of  them  for  me  and  the  others  against  me !  By 
Heaven  !  let  us  put  an  end  to  .this  ! " 

The  scene  in  fact  was  much  changed  and  was  evidently 
approaching  its  climax.  Coconnas,  who  was  wounded  to  be 
sure,  but  who  had  all  the  vigor  of  his  four  and  twenty  years,  was 
used  to  arms,  and  angered  rather  than  weakened  by  the  three 
or  four  scratches  he  had  received,  now  faced  only  Mercandon 
and  his  son  :  Mercandon,  an  aged  man  between  sixty  and 
seventy  ;  his  son,  a  youth  of  sixteen  or  eighteen,  pale,  fair- 
haired  and  slender,  had  flung  down  his  pistol  which  had  been 
discharged  and  was  therefore  useless,  and  was  feebly  brandish- 
ing a  sword  half  as  long  as  the  Piedinontese's.  The  father, 
armed  only  with  an  unloaded  arquebuse  and  a  poniard,  was 
calling  for  assistance.  An  old  woman  —  the  young  man's 
mother  —  in  the  opposite  window  held  in  her  hand  a  piece  of 
marble  which  she  was  preparing  to  hurl. 

Coconnas,  excited  on  the  one  hand  by  threats,  and  on  the 
other  by  encouragements,  proud  of  his  twofold  victory,  intoxi- 
cated with  powder  and  blood,  lighted  by  the  reflection  of  a 
burning  house,  elated  by  the  idea  that  he  was  righting  under 
the  eyes  of  a  woman  whose  beauty  was  as  superior  as  he  was 
sure  her  rank  was  high,  —  Coconnas,  like  the  last  of  the 
Horatii,  felt  his  strength  redouble,  and  seeing  the  young  man 
falter,  rushed  on  him  and  crossed  his  small  weapon  with  his 
terrible  and  bloody  rapier.  Two  strokes  sufficed  to  drive  it  out 
of  its  owner's  hands.  Then  Mercandon  tried  to  drive  Coconnas 
back,  so  that  the  projectiles  thrown  from  the  window  might 
be  s\ire  to  strike  him,  but  Coconnas,  to  paralyze  the  double 
attack  of  the  old  man,  who  tried  to  stab  him  with  his  dagger, 
and  the  mother  of  the  young  man,  who  was  endeavoring  to 
break  his  skull  with  a  stone  she  was  ready  to  throw,  seized 
his  adversary  by  the  body,  presenting  him  to  all  the  blows, 


100  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

like  a  shield,  and  well-nigh  strangling  him  in  his  Herculean 
grasp. 

"  Help !  help  !  "  cried  the  ycrung  man  ;  "  he  is  crushing  my 
chest  —  help  !  help ! " 

And  his  voice  grew  faint  in  a  low  and  choking  groan. 

Then  Mercandou  ceased  to  attack,  and  began  to  entreat. 

"  Mercy,  mercy  !  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  have  mercy  !  —  he 
is  my  only  child  !  " 

"  He  is  my  son,  my  son  !  "  cried  the  mother  ;  "  the  hope  of 
our  old  age  !  Do  not  kill  him,  sir,  —  do  not  kill  him  !  " 

"  Really,"  cried  Coconnas,  bursting  into  laughter,  "  not  kill 
him !  What,  pray,  did  he  mean  to  do  to  me,  with  his  sword 
and  pistol  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  said  Mercandon,  clasping  his  hands,  "  I  have  at  home 
your  father's  note  of  hand,  I  will  give  it  back  to  you  —  I  have 
ten  thousand  crowns  of  gold,  I  will  give  them  to  you  —  I  have 
our  family  jewels,  they  shall  be  yours ;  but  do  not  kill  him  — 
do  not  kill  him ! " 

"  And  I  have  my  love,"  said  the  lady  in  the  Hotel  de  Guise, 
in  a  low  tone,  "  and  I  promise  it  you." 

Coconnas  reflected  a  moment,  and  said  suddenly  : 

"  Are  you  a  Huguenot  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  murmured  the  youth. 

"  Then  you  must  die  ! "  replied  Coconnas,  frowning  and  put- 
ting to  his  adversary's  breast  his  keen  and  glittering  dagger. 

"  Die  !  "  cried  the  old  man ;  "  my  poor  child  die  !  " 

And  the  mother's  shriek  resounded  so  pitifully  and  loud 
that  for  a  moment  it  shook  the  Piedmontese's  firm  resolution. 

"  Oh,  Madame  la  Duchesse  ! "  cried  the  father,  turning  tow- 
ard the  lady  at  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  "  intercede  for  us,  and 
every  morning  and  evening  you  shall  be  remembered  in  our 
prayers." 

"Then  let  him  be  a  convert,"  said  the  lady. 

"  I  am  a  Protestant,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Then  die ! "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  lifting  his  dagger ;  "  die ! 
since  you  will  not  accept  the  life  which  those  lovely  lips  offer 
to  you." 

Mercandon  and  his  wife  saw  the  blade  of  that  deadly  weapon 
gleam  like  lightning  above  the  head  of  their  son. 

"  My  son  Olivier,"  shrieked  his  mother,  "abjure,  abjure!  " 

"  Abjure,  my  dear  boy  ! "  cried  Mercandon,  going  on  his 
knees  to  Coconnas  j  "  do  not  leave  us  alone  on  the  earth  ! " 


THE    MURDERERS,  101 

"Abjure  all  together,"  said  Cocoiinas ;  "  for  one  Credo,  three 
souls  and  one  life." 

"I  am  willing,"  said  the  youth. 

"  We  are  willing  ! "  cried  Mercandon  and  his  wife. 

"  On  your  knees,  then,"  said  Coconnas,  "  and  let  your  son 
repeat  after  me,  word  for  word,  the  prayer  I  shall  say." 

The  father  obeyed  first. 

"  I  am  ready,"  said  the  son,  also  kneeling. 

Coconnas  then  began  to  repeat  in  Latin  the  words  of  the 
Credo.  But  whether  from  chance  or  calculation,  young  Olivier 
knelt  close  to  where  his  sword  had  fallen.  Scarcely  did  he  see 
this  weapon  within  his  reach  than,  not  ceasing  to  repeat  the 
words  which  Coconnas  dictated,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to 
take  it  up.  Coconnas  watched  the  movement,  although  he 
pretended  not  to  see  it ;  but  at  the  moment  when  the  young 
man  touched  the  handle  of  the  sword  with  his  fingers  he  rushed 
on  him,  knocked  him  over,  exclaiming,  "  Ah,  traitor ! "  and 
plunged  his  dagger  into  his  throat. 

The  youth  uttered  one  cry,  raised  himself  convulsively  on 
his  knee,  and  fell  dead. 

"  Ah,  ruffian  !  "  shrieked  Mercandon,  "  you  slay  us  to  rob  us 
of  the  hundred  rose  nobles  you  owe  us." 

"  Faith  !  no,"  said  Coconnas,  "  and  the  proof,"  —  and  as  he 
said  these  words  he  flung  at  the  old  man's  feet  the  purse  which 
his  father  had  given  him  before  his  departure  to  pay  his  cred- 
itor, — "  and  the  proof,"  he  went  on  to  say,  "  is  this  money 
which  I  give  you  !  " 

"  And  here  's  your  death ! "  cried  the  old  woman  from  the 
window. 

"  Take  care,  M.  de  Coconnas,  take  care !  "  called  out  the 
lady  at  the  Hotel  de  Guise. 

But  before  Coconnas  could  turn  his  head  to  comply  with 
this  advice,  or  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  threat,  a  heavy  mass 
came  hissing  through  the  air,  fell  on  the  Piedmontese's  hat, 
broke  his  sword,  and  prostrated  him  on  the  pavement;  he  was 
overcome,  crushed,  so  that  he  did  not  hear  the  double  cry  of 
joy  and  distress  which  came  from  the  right  and  left. 

Mercandon  instantly  rushed,  dagger  in  hand,  on  Coconnas, 
now  bereft  of  his  senses  ;  but  at  this  moment  the  door  of  the 
Hotel  de  Guise  opened,  and  the  old  man,  seeing  swords  and 
partisans  gleaming,  fled,  while  the  lady  he  had  called  "  Madame 
la  Duchesse,"  her  beauty  terrible  in  the  light  of  the  flames, 


102  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

dazzling  with  diamonds  and  other  gems,  leaned  half  out  of  the 
window,  in  order  to  direct  the  newcomers,  pointing  her  arm 
toward  Coconnas. 

"  There  !  there !   in  front  of  me  —  a  gentleman   in  a  red 
doublet.     There  !  —  that  is  he  —  yes,  that  is  he." 


CHAPTER   X. 

DEATH,  MASS,    OK    THE    BASTILLE. 

MARGUERITE,  as  we  have  said,  had  shut  the  door  and  re- 
turned to  her  chamber.  But  as  she  entered,  panting,  she  saw 
Gillonne,  who,  terror-struck,  was  leaning  against  the  door  of 
the  closet,  staring  at  the  traces  of  blood  on  the  bed,  the  furni- 
ture, and  the  carpet. 

"  Ah  !  madame  !  "  she  cried  when  she  saw  the  queen.  "  Oh ! 
madame  !  tell  me,  is  he  dead  ?  " 

"  Silence  !  "  said  Marguerite  in  that  tone  of  voice  which 
gives  some  indication  of  the  importance  of  the  command. 

Gillonne  was  silent. 

Marguerite  then  took  from  her  purse  a  tiny  gilded  key, 
opened  the  closet  door,  and  showed  the  young  man  to  the  ser- 
vant. La  Mole  had  succeeded  in  getting  to  his  feet  and  making 
his  way  to  the  window.  A  small  poniard,  such  as  women  at  that 
time  were  in  the  habit  of  carrying,  was  at  hand,  and  when  he 
heard  the  door  opening  he  had  seized  it. 

"  Fear  nothing,  sir,"  said  Marguerite ;  "  for,  on  my  soul,  you 
are  in  safety  !  " 

La  Mole  sank  on  his  knees. 

"  Oh,  madame,"  he  cried,  "  you  are  more  than  a  queen  —  you 
are  a  goddess  ! " 

"  Do  not  agitate  yourself,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  "  your  blood 
is  still  flowing.  Oh,  look,  Gillonne,  how  pale  he  is  —  let  us 
see  where  you  are  wounded." 

"  Madame,"  said  La  Mole,  trying  to  fix  on  certain  parts  of 
his  body  the  pain  which  pervaded  his  whole  frame,  "  I  think  I 
have  a  dagger-thrust  in  my  shoulder,  another  in  my  chest,— 
the  other  wounds  are  not  worth  bothering  about." 

"  We  will  see,"  said  Marguerite.  "  Gillonne,  bring  me  my 
balsam  casket." 


DEATH,    MASS,    OK    THE    BASTILLE.  103 

Gillonne  obeyed,  and  returned  holding  in  one  hand  a  casket, 
and  in  the  other  a  silver-gilt  ewer  and  some  fine  Holland  linen. 

"  Help  me  to  lift  him,  Gillonne,"  said  Queen  Marguerite ; 
"  for  in  attempting  to  get  up  the  poor  gentleman  has  lost  all 
his  strength." 

"  But,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  am  wholly  confused. 
Indeed,  I  cannot  allow  " — 

'•'  But,  sir,  you  will  let  us  do  for  you,  I  think,"  said 
Marguerite.  "  When  we  may  save  you,  it  would  be  a  crime  to 
let  you  die." 

"  Oh ! "  cried  La  Mole,  "  I  would  rather  die  than  see  you, 
the  queen,  stain  your  hands  with  blood  as  unworthy  as  mine. 
Oh,  never,  never  ! " 

And  he  drew  back  respectfully. 

"  Your  blood,  sir,"  replied  Gillonne,  with  a  smile,  "  has 
already  stained  her  majesty's  bed  and  chamber." 

Marguerite  folded  her  mantle  over  her  cambric  peignoir,  all 
bespattered  with  small  red  spots.  This  movement,  so  expres- 
sive of  feminine  modesty,  caused  La  Mole  to  remember  that  he 
had  held  in  his  arms  and  pressed  to  his  heart  this  beautiful, 
beloved  queen,  and  at  the  recollection  a  fugitive  glow  of  color 
came  into  his  pallid  cheeks. 

"  Madame,"  stammered  La  Mole,  "  can  you  not  leave  me  to 
the  care  of  the  surgeon  ?  " 

"  Of  a  Catholic  surgeon,  perhaps,"  said  the  queen,  with  an 
expression  which  La  Mole  understood  and  which  made  him 
shudder.  "  Do  you  not  know,"  continued  the  queen  in  a  voice 
and  with  a  smile  of  incomparable  sweetness,  "  that  we  daugh- 
ters of  France  are  trained  to  know  the  qualities  of  herbs  and 
to  make  balsams  ?  for  our  duty  as  women  and  as  queens  has 
always  been  to  soften  pain.  Therefore  we  are  equal  to  the 
best  surgeons  in  the  world ;  so  our  flatterers  say !  Has  not 
my  reputation  in  this  regard  come  to  your  ears  ?  Come, 
Gillonne,  let  us  to  work  !  " 

La  Mole  again  endeavored  to  resist ;  he  repeated  that  he 
would  rather  die  than  occasion  the  queen  labor  which,  though 
begun  in  pity,  might  end  in  disgust ;  but  this  exertion  com- 
pletely exhausted  his  strength,  and  falling  back,  he  fainted  a 
second  time. 

Marguerite,  then  seizing  the  poniard  which  he  had  dropped, 
quickly  cut  the  lace  of  his  doublet ;  while  Gillonne,  with 
another  blade,  ripped  open  the  sleeves. 


104  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Next  Gillonne,  with  a  cloth  dipped  in  fresh  water,  stanched 
the  blood  which  escaped  from  his  shoulder  and  breast,  and 
Marguerite,  with  a  silver  needle  with  a  round  point,  probed 
the  wounds  with  all  the  delicacy  and  skill  that  Maitre 
Ambroise  Pare  could  have  displayed  in  such  a  case. 

"  A  dangerous  but  not  mortal  wound,  acerrimurn  humeri 
vulnus,  non  autem  lethale,"  murmured  the  lovely  and  learned 
lady-surgeon ;  "  hand  me  the  salve,  Gillonne,  and  get  the  lint 
ready." 

Meantime  Gillonne,  to  whom  the  queen  had  just  given  this 
new  order,  had  already  dried  and  perfumed  the  young  man's 
chest  and  arms,  which  were  like  an  antique  model,  as  well  as 
his  shoulders,  which  fell  gracefully  back ;  his  neck  shaded  by 
thick,  curling  locks,  and  which  seemed  rather  to  belong  to  a 
statue  of  Parian  marble  than  the  mangled  frame  of  a  dying 
man. 

"  Poor  young  man  !  "  whispered  Gillonne,  looking  not  so  much 
at  her  work  as  at  the  object  of  it. 

"  Is  he  not  handsome  ?  "  said  Marguerite,  with  royal  frank- 
ness. 

"  Yes,  madame  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  instead  of  leaving 
him  lying  there  on  the  floor,  we  should  lift  him  on  this  couch 
against  which  he  is  leaning." 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  are  right." 

And  the  two  women,  bending  over,  uniting  their  strength, 
raised  La  Mole,  and  laid  him  on  a  kind  of  great  sofa  in  front 
of  the  window,  which  they  opened  in  order  to  give  them  fresh 
air. 

This  movement  aroused  La  Mole,  who  drew  a  long  sigh,  and 
opening  his  eyes,  began  to  experience  that  indescribable  sensa- 
tion of  well-being  which  comes  to  a  wounded  man  when  on 
his  return  to  consciousness  he  finds  coolness  instead  of  burn- 
ing heat,  and  the  perfumes  of  balsams  instead  of  the  nauseat- 
ing odor  of  blood. 

He  muttered  some  disconnected  words,  to  which  Marguerite 
replied  with  a  smile,  placing  her  finger  on  her  lips. 

At  this  moment  several  raps  on  the  door  were  heard. 

"  Some  one  knocks  at  the  secret  passage,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  Who  can  be  coming,  madame  ?  "  asked  Gillonne,  in  a  panic. 

"I  will  go  and  see  who  it  is,"  said  Marguerite;  "remain 
here,  and  do  not  leave  him  for  a  single  instant." 

Marguerite   went  into  the  chamber,  and  closing  the  closet 


DEATH,    MASS,    OR    THE    BASTILLE.  105 

door,  opened  that  of  the  passage  which  led  to  the  King's  and 
queen  mother's  apartments. 

"  Madame  de  Sauve ! "  she  exclaimed,  suddenly  drawing 
back  with  an  expression  which  resembled  hatred,  if  not  terror, 
so  true  it  is  that  a  woman  never  forgives  another  for  taking 
from  her  even  a  man  whom  she  does  not  love,  —  "  Madame  de 
Sauve ! " 

"  Yes,  your  majesty  ! "  she  replied,  clasping  her  hands. 

"  You  here,  madame  ? "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  more  and 
more  surprised,  while  at  the  same  time  her  voice  grew  more 
and  more  imperative. 

Charlotte  fell  on  her  knees. 

"  Madame,"  she  said,  "  pardon  me  !  I  know  how  guilty  I  am 
toward  you ;  but  if  you  knew  —  the  fault  is  not  wholly  mine ; 
an  express  command  of  the  queen  mother  "  — 

"  Rise !  "  said  Marguerite,  "  and  as  I  do  not  suppose  you 
have  come  with  the  intention  of  justifying  yourself  to  me,  tell 
me  why  you  have  come  at  all." 

"  I  have  come,  madame,"  said  Charlotte,  still  on  her  knees, 
and  with  a  look  of  wild  alarm,  "  I  came  to  ask  you  if  he  were 
not  here  ?  " 

"  Here !  who  ?  —  of  whom  are  you  speaking,  madame  ?  for  I 
really  do  not  understand." 

«  Of  the  king !  " 

"  Of  the  king  ?  What,  do  you  follow  him  to  my  apartments  ? 
You  know  very  well  that  he  never  comes  here." 

"  Ah,  madame  ! "  continued  the  Baronne  de  Sauve,  without 
replying  to  these  attacks,  or  even  seeming  to  comprehend  them, 
"  ah,  would  to  Heaven  he  were  here  ! " 

"  And  why  so  ?  " 

"  Eh,  mon  Dieu !  madame,  because  they  are  murdering 
the  Huguenots,  and  the  King  of  Navarre  is  the  chief  of  the 
Huguenots." 

"  Oh  ! "  cried  Marguerite,  seizing  Madame  de  Sauve  by  the 
hand,  and  compelling  her  to  rise ;  "  ah !  I  had  forgotten  ;  be- 
sides, I  did  not  think  a  king  could  run  the  same  dangers  as 
other  men." 

"More,  madame,  — a  thousand  times  more  !  "  cried  Charlotte. 

"  In  fact,  Madame  de  Lorraine  had  warned  me ;  I  had  begged 
him  not  to  leave  the  Louvre.  Has  he  done  so  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  madame,  he  is  in  the  Louvre ;  but  if  he  is  not 
here  "  — 


106  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  He  is  not  here !  " 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Madame  de  Sauve,  with  an  outburst  of  agony, 
"  then  he  is  a  dead  man,  for  the  queen  mother  has  sworn  his 
destruction  !  " 

"  His  destruction !  ah,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  terrify  me  — 
impossible  !  " 

"  Madame,"  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  with  that  energy 
which  passion  alone  can  give,  "  I  tell  you  that  no  one  knows 
where  the  King  of  Navarre  is." 

"  And  where  is  the  queen  mother  ?  " 

"  The  queen  mother  sent  me  to  find  Monsieur  de  Guise  and 
Monsieur  de  Tavannes,  who  were  in  her  oratory,  and  then 
dismissed  me.  Then  —  pardon  me,  madame  —  I  went  to  my 
room  and  waited  as  usual." 

"  For  my  husband,  I  suppose." 

"  He  did  not  come,  madame.  Then  I  sought  for  him  every- 
where and  asked  every  one  for  him.  One  soldier  told  me  he 
thought  he  had  seen  him  in  the  midst  of  the  guards  who  ac- 
companied him,  with  his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand,  some  time 
before  the  massacre  began,  and  the  massacre  has  begun  an 
hour  ago.'' 

"  Thanks,  madame,"  said  Marguerite ;  "  and  although  per- 
haps the  sentiment  which  impels  you  is  an  additional  offence 
toward  me,  —  yet,  again,  I  thank  you  !  " 

"  Oh,  forgive  me,  madame !  "  she  said,  "  and  I  will  return  to 
my  apartments  stronger  for  your  pardon,  for  I  dare  not  follow 
you,  even  at  a  distance." 

Marguerite  extended  her  hand  to  her. 

"  I  will  go  to  Queen  Catharine,"  she  said.  "  Return  to  your 
room.  The  King  of  Navarre  is  under  my  protection  ;  I  have 
promised  him  my  alliance  and  I  will  be  faithful  to  my 
promise." 

"  But  suppose  you  cannot  obtain  access  to  the  queen  mother, 
madame  ?  " 

"  Then  I  will  go  to  my  brother  Charles,  and  I  will  speak  to 
him." 

"  Go,  madame,  go,"  said  Charlotte,  leaving  Marguerite  room 
to  pass,  "  and  may  God  guide  your  majesty  !  " 

Marguerite  darted  down  the  corridor,  but  when  she  reached 
the  end  of  it  she  turned  to  make  sure  that  Madame  de  Sauve 
was  not  lingering  behind.  Madame  de  Sauve  was  following 
her. 


DEATH,    MASS,    OR    THE    BASTILLE.  107 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  saw  her  go  upstairs  to  her  own  apart- 
ment, and  then  she  herself  went  toward  the  queen's  chamber. 

All  was  changed  here.  Instead  of  the  crowd  of  eager  cour- 
tiers, who  usually  opened  their  ranks  before  the  queen  and 
respectfully  saluted  her,  Marguerite  met  only  guards  with  red 
partisans  and  garments  stained  with  blood,  or  gentlemen  in 
torn  cloaks,  —  their  faces  blackened  with  powder,  bearing 
orders  and  despatches,  —  some  going  in,  others  going  out,  and 
all  this  movement  back  and  forth  made  a  great  and  terrible 
confusion  in  the  galleries. 

Marguerite,  however,  went  boldly  on  until  she  reached  the 
queen  mother's  antechamber.  But  this  room  was  guarded  by 
a  double  file  of  soldiers,  who  allowed  only  those  who  had  a 
certain  countersign  to  enter.  Marguerite  in  vain  tried  to  pass 
this  living  barrier ;  several  times  she  saw  the  door  open  and 
shut,  and  each  time  she  saw  Catharine,  her  youth  restored  by 
action,  as  alert  as  if  she  were  only  twenty  years  of  age,  writ- 
ing, receiving  letters,  opening  them,  addressing  a  word  to  one, 
a  smile  to  another  ;  and  those  on  whom  she  smiled  most  gra- 
ciously were  those  who  were  the  most  covered  with  dust  and 
blood. 

Amid  this  vast  tumult  which  reigned  in  the  Louvre  and 
filled  it  with  frightful  clamors,  could  be  heard  the  rattling  of 
musketry  more  and  more  insistently  repeated. 

"  I  shall  never  get  to  her,"  said  Marguerite  to  herself  after 
she  had  made  three  ineffectual  attempts  to  pass  the  halberdiers. 
"  Rather  than  waste  my  time  here,  I  must  go  and  find  my 
brother." 

At  this  moment  M.  de  Guise  passed  ;  he  had  just  informed 
the  queen  of  the  murder  of  the  admiral,  and  was  returning 
to  the  butchery. 

"  Oh,  Henry  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  "  where  is  the  King  of 
Navarre  ?  " 

The  duke  looked  at  her  with  a  smile  of  astonishment,  bowed, 
and  without  any  reply  passed  out  with  his  guards. 

Marguerite  ran  to  a  captain  who  was  on  the  point  of  leaving 
the  Louvre  and  was  engaged  in  having  his  men's  arquebuses 
loaded. 

"  The  King  of  Navarre !  "  she  exclaimed ;  "  sir,  where  is 
the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  madame,"  replied  the  captain,  "  I  do  not 
belong  to  his  majesty's  guards." 


108  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Ah,  my  dear  Rene,"  said  the  queen,  recognizing  Catharine's 
perfumer,  "  is  that  you  ?  —  you  have  just  left  my  mother.  Do 
you  know  what  has  become  of  my  husband  ?  " 

"  His  majesty  the  King  of  Navarre  is  no  friend  of  mine, 
madame,  you  ought  to  remember  that.  It  is  even  said,"  he 
added,  with  a  contraction  of  his  features  more  like  a  grimace 
than  a  smile,  "it  is  even  said  that  he  ventures  to  accuse  me 
of  having  been  the  accomplice,  with  Madame  Catharine,  in 
poisoning  his  mother." 

"  No,  no  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  "  my  good  Rene,  do  not  be--: 
lieve  that ! " 

"  Oh,  it  is  of  little  consequence,  madame !  "  said  the  per- 
fumer ;  "  neither  the  King  of  Navarre  nor  his  party  is  any 
longer  to  be  feared!" 

And  he  turned  his  back  on  Marguerite. 

"  Ah,  Monsieur  de  Tavannes ! "  cried  Marguerite,  "  one 
word,  I  beseech  you  ! " 

Tavannes,  who  was  going  by,  stopped. 

"  Where  is  Henry  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Faith,"  he  replied,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  I  believe  he  is  some- 
where in  the  city  with  the  Messieurs  d'Alenqon  and  de  Conde." 

And  then  he  added,  in  a  tone  so  low  that  the  queen  alone 
could  hear  : 

"Your  majesty,  if  you  would  see  him,  —  to  be  in  whose 
place  I  would  give  my  life,  — go  to  the  king's  armory." 

"  Thanks,  Tavannes,  thanks ! "  said  Marguerite,  who,  of 
all  that  Tavannes  had  said,  had  heard  only  the  chief  direction ; 
"  thank  you,  I  will  go  there." 

And  she  went  on  her  way,  murmuring : 

"  Oh,  after  all  I  promised  him  —  after  the  way  in  which  he 
behaved  to  me  when  that  ingrate,  Henry  de  Guise,  was  con- 
cealed in  the  closet  —  I  cannot  let  him  perish !  " 

And  she  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  King's  apartments  ;  but 
they  were  encompassed  within  by  two  companies  of  guards. 

"  No  one  is  admitted  to  the  King,"  said  the  officer,  coining 
forward. 

"  But  I  "  —  said  Marguerite. 

"  The  order  is  general." 

"  I,  the  Queen  of  Navarre  !  —  I,  his  sister  !  " 

"  My  orders  admit  of  no  exception,  madame  ;  I  pray  you  to 
pardon  me." 

And  the  officer  closed  the  door. 


DEATH,    MASS,    OR    THE    BASTILLE.  109 

"  Oh,  he  is  lost !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  alarmed  at  the 
sight  of  all  those  sinister  faces,  which  even  if  they  did  not 
breathe  vengeance,  expressed  sternness  of  purpose.  "  Yes, 
yes !  1  comprehend  all.  I  have  been  used  as  a  bait.  I  am  the 
snare  which  has  entrapped  the  Huguenots ;  but  I  will  enter,  if 
I  am  killed  in  the  attempt !  " 

And  Marguerite  ran  like  a  mad  creature  through  the 
corridors  and  galleries,  when  suddenly,  as  she  passed  by  a 
small  door,  she  heard  a  sweet  song,  almost  melancholy,  so 
monotonous  it  was.  It  was  a  Calvinistic  psalm,  sung  by  a 
trembling  voice  in  the  next  room. 

"  My  brother  the  king's  nurse  —  the  good  Madelon  —  she  is 
there  !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite.  "  God  of  the  Christians,  aid 
me  now ! " 

And,  full  of  hope,  Marguerite  knocked  at  the  little  door. 

Soon  after  the  counsel  which  Marguerite  had  conveyed  to 
him,  after  his  conversation  with  Rene,  and  after  leaving  the 
queen  mother's  chamber,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  poor 
little  Phoebe,  —  who  like  a  good  genius  tried  to  detain  him,  — 
Henry  of  Navarre  had  met  several  Catholic  gentlemen,  who, 
under  a  pretext  of  doing  him  honor,  had  escorted  him  to  his 
apartments,  where  a  score  of  Huguenots  awaited  him,  who  had 
rallied  round  the  young  prince,  and,  having  once  rallied,  would 
not  leave  him  —  so  strongly,  for  some  hours,  had  the  presenti- 
ment of  that  fatal  night  weighed  on  the  Louvre.  They  had 
remained  there,  without  any  one  attempting  to  disturb  them. 
At  last,  at  the  first  stroke  of  the  bell  of  Saint-Germain  1'Auxer- 
rois,  which  resounded  through  all  hearts  like  a  funeral  knell, 
Tavannes  entered,  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  death-like  silence, 
announced  that  King  Charles  IX.  desired  to  speak  to  Henry. 

It  was  useless  to  attempt  resistance,  and  no  one  thought  of 
it.  They  heard  the  ceilings,  galleries,  and  corridors  creaking 
beneath  the  feet  of  the  assembled  soldiers,  who  were  in  the 
court-yards,  as  well  as  in  the  apartments,  to  the  number  of  two 
thousand.  Henry,  after  having  taken  leave  of  his  friends, 
whom  he  was  never  again  to  see,  followed  Tavannes,  who  led 
him  to  a  small  gallery  next  the  King's  apartments,  where  he 
left  him  alone,  unarmed,  and  a  prey  to  mistrust. 

The  King  of  Navarre  counted  here  alone,  minute  by  minute, 
two  mortal  hours ;  listening,  with  increasing  alarm,  to  the 
sound  of  the  tocsin  and  the  discharge  of  fire-arms ;  seeing 


110  MARGUERITE    DE     V ALOIS. 

through  a  small  window,  by  the  light  of  the  flames  and  flam- 
beaux, the  refugees  and  their  assassins  pass ;  understanding 
nothing  of  these  shrieks  of  murder,  these  cries  of  distress,  — 
not  even  suspecting,  in  spite  of  his  knowledge  of  Charles  IX., 
the  queen  mother,  and  the  Due  de  Guise,  the  horrible  drama 
at  this  moment  enacting. 

Henry  had  not  physical  courage,  but  he  had  better  than  that 
—  he  had  moral  fortitude.  Though  he  feared  danger,  yet  he 
smiled  at  it  and  faced  it ;  but  it  was  danger  in  the  field  of 
battle  —  danger  in  the  open  air  —  danger  in  the  eyes  of  all, 
and  attended  by  the  noisy  harmony  of  trumpets  and  the  loud 
and  vibrating  beat  of  drums  ;  but  now  he  was  weaponless, 
alone,  locked  in,  shut  up  in  a  semi-darkness  where  he  could 
scarcely  see  the  enemy  that  might  glide  toward  him,  and  the 
weapon  that  might  be  raised  to  strike  him. 

These  two  hours  were,  perhaps,  the  most  agonizing  of  his 
life. 

In  the  hottest  of  the  tumult,  and  as  Henry  was  beginning  to 
understand  that,  in  all  probability,  this  was  some  organized 
massacre,  a  captain  came  to  him,  and  conducted  the  prince 
along  a  corridor  to  the  King's  rooms.  As  they  approached,  the 
door  opened  and  closed  behind  them  as  if  by  magic.  The 
captain  then  led  Henry  to  the  King,  who  was  in  his  armory. 

When  they  entered,  the  King  was  seated  in  a  great  arm- 
chair, his  two  hands  placed  on  the  two  arms  of  the  seat,  and 
his  head  falling  on  his  chest.  At  the  noise  made  by  their 
entrance  Charles  looked  up,  and  Henry  observed  the  perspi- 
ration dropping  from  his  brow  like  large  beads. 

"  Good  evening,  Harry,"  said  the  young  King,  roughly.  "  La 
Chastre,  leave  us." 

The  captain  obeyed. 

A  gloomy  silence  ensued.  Henry  looked  around  him  with 
uneasiness,  and  saw  that  he  was  alone  with  the  King. 

Charles  IX.  suddenly  arose. 

"  Par  la  mordieu  !  "  said  he,  passing  his  hands  through  his 
light  brown  hair,  and  wiping  his  brow  at  the  same  time,  "you 
are  glad  to  be  with  me,  are  you  not,  Harry  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  sire,"  replied  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  I  am 
always  happy  to  be  with  your  Majesty." 

"  Happier  than  if  you  were  down  there,  eh  ?  "  continued 
Charles,  following  his  own  thoughts  rather  than  replying  to 
Henry's  compliment. 


DEATH,    MASS,    OR    THE    BASTILLE.  Ill 

"  I  do  not  understand,  sire,"  replied  Henry. 

"  Look  out,  then,  and  you  will  soon  understand." 

And  with  a  quick  movement  Charles  stepped  or  rather 
sprang  to  the  window,  and  drawing  with  him  his  brother-in- 
law,  who  became  more  and  more  terror-stricken,  he  pointed 
to  him  the  horrible  outlines  of  the  assassins,  who,  on  the  deck 
of  a  boat,  were  cutting  the  throats  or  drowning  the  victims 
brought  them  at  every  moment. 

"  In  the  name  of  Heaven,"  cried  Henry,  "  what  is  going  on 
to-night  ?  " 

"  To-night,  sir,"  replied  Charles  IX.,  "  they  are  ridding  me 
of  all  the  Huguenots.  Look  yonder,  over  the  Hotel  de  Bour- 
bon, at  the  smoke  and  flames  :  they  are  the  smoke  and  flames 
of  the  admiral's  house,  which  is  on  fire.  Do  you  see  that 
body,  which  these  good  Catholics  are  drawing  on  a  torn 
mattress  ?  It  is  the  corpse  of  the  admiral's  son-in-law  —  the 
carcass  of  your  friend,  Teligny." 

"  What  means  this  ?  "  cried  the  King  of  Navarre,  seeking 
vainly  by  his  side  for  the  hilt  of  his  dagger,  and  trembling 
equally  with  shame  and  anger ;  for  he  felt  that  he  was  at  the 
same  time  laughed  at  and  threatened. 

"  It  means,"  cried  Charles  IX.,  becoming  suddenly  furious, 
and  turning  frightfully  pale,  "  it  means  that  I  will  no  longer 
have  any  Huguenots  about  me.     Do  you  hear  me,  Henry  ?  — 
Am  I  King  ?     Am  I  master  ?  " 

"  But,  your  Majesty  " 

"  My  Majesty  kills  and  massacres  at  this  moment  all  that 
is  not  Catholic  ;  it  is  my  pleasure.  Are  you  a  Catholic  ?  " 
exclaimed  Charles,  whose  anger  was  rising  higher  and  higher, 
like  an  awful  tide. 

"  Sire,"  replied  Henry,  "  do  you  remember  your  own  words, 
'  What  matters  the  religion  of  those  who  serve  me  well '  ?  " 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  "  cried  Charles,  bursting  into  a  ferocious 
laugh  ;  "  you  ask  me  if  I  remember  my  words,  Henry  !  'Verba 
volant,'  as  my  sister  Margot  says ;  and  had  not  all  those  " 
and  he  pointed  to  the  city  with  his  finger  —  "  served  me  well, 
also  ?  Were  they  not  brave  in  battle,  wise  in  council,  deeply 
devoted  ?  They  were  all  useful  subjects  —  but  they  were 
Huguenots,  and  I  want  none  but  Catholics." 

Henry  remained  silent. 

"  Do  you  understand  me  now,  Harry  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  I  understand,  sire." 


112  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  sire,  I  do  not  see  why  the  King  of  Navarre  should 
not  do  what  so  many  gentlemen  and  poor  folk  have  done.  For 
if  they  all  die,  poor  unfortunates,  it  is  because  the  same  terms 
have  been  proposed  to  them  which  your  Majesty  proposes  to 
me,  and  they  have  refused,  as  I  refuse." 

Charles  seized  the  young  prince's  arm,  and  fixed  011  him  a 
look  the  vacancy  of  which  suddenly  changed  into  a  fierce  and 
savage  scowl. 

"  What ! "  he  said,  "  do  you  believe  that  I  have  taken  the 
trouble  to  offer  the  mass  to  those  whose  throats  we  are  cutting 
yonder  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  disengaging  his  arm,  "  will  you  not  die 
in  the  religion  of  your  fathers  ?  " 

"  Yes,  par  la  mordieu  !  and  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  sire,  I  will  do  the  same  !  "  replied  Henry. 

Charles  uttered  a  roar  of  rage  and,  with  trembling  hand, 
seized  his  arquebuse,  which  lay  on  the  table. 

Henry,  who  stood  leaning  against  the  tapestry,  with  the 
perspiration  on  his  brow,  and  nevertheless,  owing  to  his 
presence  of  mind,  calm  to  all  appearance,  followed  every  move- 
ment of  the  terrible  king  with  the  greedy  stupefaction  of  a 
bird  fascinated  by  a  serpent. 

Charles  cocked  his  arquebuse,  and  stamping  with  blind  rage 
cried,  as  he  dazzled  Henry's  eyes  with  the  polished  barrel  of 
the  deadly  gun: 

"  Will  you  accept  the  mass  ?  " 

Henry  remained  mute. 

Charles  IX.  shook  the  vaults  of  the  Louvre  with  the  most 
terrible  oath  that  ever  issued  from  the  lips  of  man,  and  grew 
even  more  livid  than  before. 

"  Death,  mass,  or  the  Bastille ! "  he  cried,  taking  aim  at  the 
King  of  Navarre. 

"  Oh,  sire  !  "  exclaimed  Henry,  "  will  you  kill  me  —  me,  your 
brother  ?  " 

Henry  thus,  by  his  incomparable  cleverness,  which  was  one 
of  the  strongest  faculties  of  his  organization,  evaded  the 
answer  which  Charles  IX.  expected,  for  undoubtedly  had  his 
reply  been  in  the  negative  Henry  had  been  a  dead  man. 

As  immediately  after  the  climax  of  rage,  reaction  begins, 
Charles  IX.  did  not  repeat  the  question  he  had  addressed  to 
the  Prince  of  Navarre ;  and  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  dur- 


DEATH,    MASS,    OR    THE    BASTILLE.  113 

ing  which  he  uttered  a  hoarse  kind  of  growl,  he  went  back  to 
the  open  window,  and  aimed  at  a  man  who  was  running  along 
the  quay  in  front. 

"  I  must  kill  some  one ! "  cried  Charles  IX.,  ghastly  as  a 
corpse,  his  eyes  suffused  with  blood ;  and  firing  as  he  spoke, 
he  struck  the  man  who  was  running. 

Henry  uttered  a  groan. 

Then,  animated  by  a  frightful  ardor,  Charles  loaded  and 
fired  his  arquebuse  without  cessation,  uttering  cries  of  joy 
every  time  his  aim  was  successful. 

"  It  is  all  over  with  me  ! "  said  the  King  of  Navarre  to  him- 
self ;  "  when  he  sees  no  one  else  to  kill,  he  will  kill  me !  " 

"Well,"  said  a  voice  behind  the  princes,  suddenly,  "is  it 
done  ?  " 

It  was  Catharine  de  Medicis,  who  had  entered  unobserved 
just  as  the  King  was  firing  his  last  shot. 

"  No,  thousand  thunders  of  hell !  "  said  the  King,  throwing 
his  arquebuse  across  the  room.  "  No,  the  obstinate  blockhead 
—  he  will  not  consent !  " 

Catharine  made  no  reply.  She  turned  her  eyes  slowly  where 
Henry  stood  as  motionless  as  one  of  the  figures  of  the  tapestry 
against  which  he  was  leaning.  She  then  gave  a  glance  at  the 
King,  which  seemed  to  say : 

"  Then  why  he  is  alive  ?  " 

"He  is  alive,  he  is  alive !  "  murmured  Charles  IX.,  who  per- 
fectly understood  the  glance,  and  replied  to  it  without  hesita- 
tion, —  "  he  is  alive  —  because  he  is  my  relative." 

Catharine  smiled. 

Henry  saw  the  smile,  and  realized  that  his  struggle  was  to  be 
with  Catharine. 

"  Madame,"  he  said  to  her,  "  the  whole  thing  comes  from 
you,  I  see  very  well,  and  my  brother-in-law  Charles  is  not  to 
blame.  You  laid  the  plan  for  drawing  me  into  a  snare.  You 
made  your  daughter  the  bait  which  was  to  destroy  us  all.  You 
separated  me  from  my  wife  that  she  might  not  see  me  killed 
before  her  eyes  " 

"  Yes,  but  that  shall  not  be  !  "  cried  another  voice,  breathless 
and  impassioned,  which  Henry  instantly  recognized  and  which 
made  Charles  start  with  surprise  and  Catharine  with  rage. 

"  Marguerite  !  "  exclaimed  Henry. 

"  Margot !  "  said  Charles  IX. 

"  My  daughter !  "  muttered  Catharine. 


114  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Sire,''  said  Marguerite  to  Henry,  "  your  last  words  were  an 
accusation  against  me,  and  you  were  both  right  and  wrong,  — 
right,  for  I  am  the  means  by  which  they  attempted  to  destroy 
you ;  wrong,  for  I  did  not  know  that  you  were  going  to  your 
destruction.  I,  sire,  owe  my  own  life  to  chance  —  to  my 
mother's  f orgetfulness,  perhaps ;  but  as  soon  as  I  learned  your 
danger  I  remembered  my  duty,  and  a  wife's  duty  is  to  share 
her  husband's  fortunes.  If  you  are  exiled,  sire,  I  will  follow 
you  into  exile  ;  if  you  are  put  into  prison  I  will  be  your  fellow- 
captive  ;  if  they  kill  you,  I  will  also  die." 

And  she  offered  her  husband  her  hand,  which  he  eagerly 
seized,  if  not  with  love,  at  least  with  gratitude. 

"  Oh,  my  poor  Margot !  "  said  Charles,  "  you  had  much 
better  bid  him  become  a  Catholic  ! " 

"  Sire,"  replied  Marguerite,  with  that  lofty  dignity  which 
was  so  natural  to  her,  "for  your  own  sake  do  not  ask  any 
prince  of  your  house  to  commit  a  cowardly  act." 

Catharine  darted  a  significant  glance  at  Charles. 

"  Brother,''  cried  Marguerite,  who  equally  well  with  Charles 
IX.  understood  Catharine's  ominous  pantomime,  "  my  brother, 
remember  !  you  made  him  my  husband !  " 

Charles  IX.,  at  bay  between  Catharine's  commanding  eyes 
and  Marguerite's  supplicating  look,  as  if  between  the  two 
opposing  principles  of  good  and  evil,  stood  for  an  instant  un- 
decided ;  at  last  Ormazd  won  the  day. 

"  In  truth,"  said  he,  whispering  in  Catharine's  ear,  "  Margot 
is  right,  and  Harry  is  my  brother-in-law." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Catharine  in  a  similar  whisper  in  her  son's 
ear,  "  yes  —  but  supposing  he  were  not  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XI. 

THE    HAWTHORN    OF    THE    CEMETERY  OF    THE    INNOCENTS. 

As  soon  as  Marguerite  reached  her  own  apartments  she 
tried  in  vain  to  divine  the  words  which  Catharine  de  Medicis 
had  whispered  to  Charles  IX.,  and  which  had  cut  short  the 
terrible  council  of  life  and  death  which  was  taking  place. 

She  spent  a  part  of  the  morning  in  attending  to  La  Mole, 
and  the  rest  in  trying  to  guess  the  enigma,  which  her  mind 
could  not  discover. 


THE    HAWTHORN    OF    THE    CEMETERY.        115 

The  King  of  Navarre  remained  a  prisoner  in  the  Louvre, 
the  persecution  of  the  Huguenots  went  on  hotter  than  ever. 
The  terrible  night  was  followed  by  a  day  of  massacre  still 
more  horrible.  No  longer  the  bells  rang  the  tocsin,  but  Te 
Deums,  and  the  echoes  of  these  joyous  notes,  resounding  amid 
fire  and  slaughter,  were  perhaps  even  more  lugubrious  in  sun- 
light than  had  been  the  last  night's  knell  sounding  in  dark- 
ness. This  was  not  all.  A  strange  thing  had  happened:  a 
hawthorn-tree,  which  had  blossomed  in  the  spring,  and  which, 
as  usual,  had  lost  its  odorous  flowers  in  the  month  of  June, 
had  blossomed  again  dumig  the  night,  and  the  Catholics,  who 
saw  a  miracle  in  this  event,  spread  the  report  of  the  miracle 
far  and  wide,  thus  making  God  their  accomplice  ;  and  with 
cross  and  banners  they  marched  in  a  procession  to  the  Ceme- 
tery of  the  Innocents,  where  this  hawthorn-tree  was  blooming. 

This  method  of  acquiescence  which  Heaven  seemed  to  show 
in  the  massacres  redoubled  the  ardor  of  the  assassins,  and 
while  every  street,  every  square,  every  alley-way  of  the  city 
continued  to  present  a  scene  of  desolation,  the  Louvre  had 
become  the  common  tomb  for  all  Protestants  who  had  been 
shut  up  there  when  the  signal  was  given.  The  King  of  Na- 
varre, the  Prince  de  Conde,  and  La  Mole  were  the  only  sur- 
vivors. 

Assured  as  to  La  Mole,  whose  wounds,  as  she  had  declared 
the  evening  before,  were  severe  but  not  dangerous,  Margue- 
rite's mind  was  now  occupied  with  one  single  idea :  that  was 
to  save  her  husband's  life,  which  was  still  threatened.  No 
doubt  the  first  sentiment  which  actuated  the  wife  was  one  of 
generous  pity  for  a  man  for  whom,  as  the  Bearnais  himself 
had  said,  she  had  sworn,  if  not  love,  at  least  alliance  ;  but 
there  was,  beside,  another  sentiment  not  so  pure,  which  had 
penetrated  the  queen's  heart. 

Marguerite  was  ambitious,  and  had  foreseen  almost  the  cer- 
tainty of  royalty  in  her  marriage  Avith  Henry  de  Bourbon. 
Navarre,  though  beset  on  one  side  by  the  kings  of  France  and 
on  the  other  by  the  kings  of  Spain,  who  strip  by  strip  had  ab- 
sorbed half  of  its  territory,  might  become  a  real  kingdom  with 
the  French  Huguenots  for  subjects,  if  only  Henry  de  Bourbon 
should  fulfil  the  hopes  which  the  courage  shown  by  him  on  the 
infrequent  occasions  vouchsafed  him  of  drawing  his  sword  had 
aroused. 

Marguerite,  with  her  keen,  lofty  intellect,  foresaw  and  reck- 


116  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

oned  on  all  this.  So  if  she  lost  Henry  she  lost  not  only  a 
husband,  but  a  throne. 

As  she  was  absorbed  in  these  reflections  she  heard  some  one 
knocking  at  the  door  of  the  secret  corridor.  She  started, 
for  only  three  persons  came  by  that  door,  —  the  King,  the 
queen  mother,  and  the  Due  d'Alenqon.  She  opened  the  closet 
door,  made  a  gesture  of  silence  to  Gillonne  and  La  Mole,  and 
then  went  to  let  her  visitor  in. 

It  was  the  Due  d'Alenqon. 

The  young  prince  had  not  been  seen  since  the  night  before. 
For  a  moment,  Marguerite  had  conceived  the  idea  of  asking  his 
intercession  for  the  King  of  Navarre,  but  a  terrible  idea  re- 
strained her.  The  marriage  had  taken  place  against  his 
wishes.  Francois  detested  Henry,  and  had  evinced  his  neu- 
trality toward  the  Bearnais  only  because  he  was  convinced 
that  Henry  and  his  wife  had  remained  strangers  to  each  other. 
A  mark  of  interest  shown  by  Marguerite  in  her  husband 
might  thrust  one  of  the  three  threatening  poniards  into  his 
heart  instead  of  turning  it  aside.  Marguerite,  therefore,  on 
perceiving  the  young  prince,  shuddered  more  than  she  had 
shuddered  at  seeing  the  King  or  even  the  queen  mother. 
Nevertheless  no  one  could  have  told  by  his  appearance  that 
anything  unusual  was  taking  place  either  in  the  city  or  at  the 
Louvre.  He  was  dressed  with  his  usual  elegance.  His  clothes 
and  linen  breathed  of  those  perfumes  which  Charles  IX.  de- 
spised, but  of  which  the  Due  d'Anjou  and  he  made  continual 
use. 

A  practised  eye  like  Marguerite's,  however,  could  detect 
the  fact  that  in  spite  of  his  rather  unusual  pallor  and  in  spite 
of  a  slight  trembling  in  his  hands  —  delicate  hands,  as  care- 
fully treated  as  a  lady's  —  he  felt  a  deep  sense  of  joy  in  the 
bottom  of  his  heart.  His  entrance  was  in  no  wise  different 
from  usual.  He  went  to  his  sister  to  kiss  her,  but  Marguerite, 
instead  of  offering  him  her  cheek,  as  she  would  have  done 
had  it  been  King  Charles  or  the  Due  d'Anjou,  made  a  courtesy 
and  allowed  him  to  kiss  her  forehead. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  sighed  and  touched  his  bloodless  lips  to 
her  brow. 

Then  taking  a  seat  he  began  to  tell  his  sister  the  sanguinary 
news  of  the  night,  the  admiral's  lingering  and  terrible  death, 
Teligny's  instantaneous  death  caused  by  a  bullet.  He  took 
his  time  and  emphasized  all  the  bloody  details  of  that  night, 


THE    HAWTHORN    OF    THE    CEMETERY.        117 

with  that  love  of  blood  characteristic  of  himself  and  his  two 
brothers  ;  Marguerite  allowed  him  to  tell  his  story. 

"  You  did  not  come  to  tell  me  this  only,  brother  ?  "  she  then 
asked. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  smiled. 

"  You  have  something  else  to  say  to  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  duke ;  "  I  am  waiting." 

«  Waiting  !  for  what  ?  " 

"  Have  you  not  told  me,  dearest  Marguerite,"  said  the  duke, 
drawing  his  armchair  close  up  to  his  sister's,  "  that  your 
marriage  with  the  King  of  Navarre  was  contracted  against 
your  wishes  ?  " 

"  Yes,  no  doubt.  I  did  not  know  the  Prince  of  Beam  when 
he  was  proposed  to  me  as  a  husband." 

"  And  after  you  came  to  know  him,  did  you  not  tell  me  that 
you  felt  no  love  for  him  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  so  ;  it  is  true." 

"  Was  it  not  your  opinion  that  this  marriage  would  make 
you  unhappy  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Franqois,"  said  Marguerite,  "  when  a  marriage  is 
not  the  height  of  happiness  it  is  almost  always  the  depth  of 
wretchedness." 

"  Well,  then,  my  dear  Marguerite,  as  I  said  to  you,  —  I  am 
waiting." 

"  But  what  are  you  waiting  for  ?  " 

"  For  you  to  display  your  joy  !  " 

"What  have  I  to  be  joyful  for  ?  " 

"  The  unexpected  chance  which  offers  itself  for  you  to  re- 
sume your  liberty." 

"  My  liberty  ?  "  replied  Marguerite,  who  was  determined  to 
compel  the  prince  to  express  his  whole  thought. 

"  Yes  ;  your  liberty  !  You  will  now  be  separated  from  the 
King  of  Navarre." 

"  Separated  !  "  said  Marguerite,  fastening  her  eyes  on  the 
young  prince. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  tried  to  endure  his  sister's  look,  but  his 
eyes  soon  avoided  hers  with  embarrassment. 

"  Separated  !  "  repeated  Marguerite ;  "  let  us  talk  this  over, 
brother,  for  I  should  like  to  understand  all  you  mean,  and  how 
you  propose  to  separate  us." 

"  Why,"  murmured  the  duke,  "  Henry,  is  a  Huguenot." 


118  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  No  doubt ;  but  he  made  no  secret  of  his  religion,  and  that 
was  known  when  we  were  married." 

"  Yes ;  but  since  your  marriage,  sister,"  asked  the  duke, 
involuntarily  allowing  a  ray  of  joy  to  shine  upon  his  face, 
"  what  has  Henry  been  doing  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  know  better  than  any  one,  -dYanqois,  for  he  has 
spent  his  days  almost  constantly  in  your  society,  either  hunt- 
ing or  playing  mall  or  tennis." 

"  Yes,  his  days,  no  doubt,"  replied  the  duke ;  "  his  days  — 
but  his  nights  ?  " 

Marguerite  was  silent ;  it  was  now  her  turn  to  cast  down  her 
eyes. 

"  His  nights,"  persisted  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  "  his  nights  ?  " 

"  Well  ?  "  inquired  Marguerite,  feeling  that  it  was  requisite 
that  she  should  say  something  in  reply. 

"  Well,  he  has  been  spending  them  with  Madame  de  Sauve ! " 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  I  know  it  because  I  have  an  interest  in  knowing  it,"  replied 
the  young  prince,  growing  pale  and  picking  the  embroidery  of 
his  sleeves. 

Marguerite  began  to  understand  what  Catharine  had 
whispered  to  Charles,  but  pretended  to  remain  in  ignorance. 

"  Why  do  you  tell  me  this,  brother  ?  "  she  replied,  with  a 
well-affected  air  of  melancholy  ;  "  was  it  to  remind  me  that  no 
one  here  loves  me  or  takes  my  part,  neither  those  whom  nature 
gave  me  as  protectors  iior  the  man  whom  the  Church  gave  me 
as  my  husband  ?  " 

"  You  are  unjust,"  said  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  drawing  his 
armchair  still  nearer  to  his  sister,  "  I  love  you  and  protect 
you  !  " 

"  Brother,"  said  Marguerite,  looking  at  him  sharply,  "  have 
you  anything  to  say  to  me  from  the  queen  mother  ?  " 

"  I !  you  mistake,  sister.  I  swear  to  you  —  what  can  make 
you  think  that  ?  " 

"  What  can  make  me  think  that  ?  —  why,  because  you  are 
breaking  off  the  intimacy  that  binds  you  to  my  husband,  be- 
cause you  are  abandoning  the  cause  of  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  The  cause  of  the  King  of  Navarre ! "  replied  the  Due 
d'Alenqon,  wholly  at  his  wits'  end. 

"  Yes,  certainly.  Now  look  here,  Franqois ;  let  us  speak 
frankly.  You  have  come  to  an  agreement  a  score  of  times ; 


THE    HAWTHORN    OF    THE    CEMETERY.         119 

you  cannot  raise  yourself  or  even  hold  your  own  except  by 
mutual  help.  This  alliance  "- 

"  Has  now  become  impossible,  sister,"  interrupted  the  Due 
d'Alen<pn. 

"  And  why  so  ?  " 

"  Because  the  King  has  designs  on  your  husband  !  Pardon 
me,  when  I  said  your  husband,  I  erred ;  I  meant  Henry  of 
Navarre.  Our  mother  has  seen  through  the  whole  thing.  I 
entered  into  an  alliance  with  the  Huguenots  because  I  believed 
the  Huguenots  were  in  favor;  but  now  they  are  killing  the 
Huguenots,  and  in  another  week  there  will  not  remain  fifty  in 
the  whole  kingdom.  I  gave  my  hand  to  the  King  of  Navarre 
because  he  was  —  your  husband  ;  but  now  he  is  not  your  hus- 
band. What  can  you  say  to  that  —  you  who  are  not  only  the 
loveliest  woman  in  France,  but  have  the  clearest  head  in  the 
kingdom  ?  " 

"Why,  I  have  this  to  say,"  replied  Marguerite,  "1  know 
our  brother  Charles ;  I  saw  him  yesterday  in  one  of  those  fits 
of  frenzy,  every  one  of  which  shortens  his  life  ten  years.  I 
have  to  say  that  unfortunately  these  attacks  are  very  frequent, 
and  that  thus,  in  all  probability,  our  brother  Charles  has  not 
very  long  to  live  ;  and,  finally,  I  have  to  say  that  the  King  of 
Poland  has  just  died,  and  the  question  of  electing  a  prince  of 
the  house  of  France  in  his  stead  is  much  discussed ;  and  when 
circumstances  are  thus,  it  is  not  the  moment  to  abandon  allies 
who,  in  the  moment  of  struggle,  might  support  us  with  the 
strength  of  a  nation  and  the  power  of  a  kingdom." 

"  And  you ! "  exclaimed  the  duke,  "  do  you  not  act  much 
more  treasonably  to  me  in  preferring  a  foreigner  to  your  own 
brother  ?  " 

"  Explain  yourself,  Francois !  In  what  have  I  acted  trea- 
sonably to  you  ?  " 

"  You  yesterday  begged  the  life  of  the  King  of  Navarre 
from  King  Charles." 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Marguerite,  with  pretended  innocence. 

The  duke  rose  hastily,  paced  round  the  chamber  twice  or 
thrice  with  a  bewildered  air,  then  came  back  and  took  Mar- 
guerite's hand. 

It  was  cold  and  unresponsive. 

"  Good-by,  sister !  "  he  said  at  last.  "  You  will  not  under- 
stand me  ;  do  not,  therefore,  complain  of  whatever  misfortunes 
may  happen  to  you." 


120  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

Marguerite  grew  pale,  but  remained  motionless  in  her  place. 
She  saw  the  Due  d'Alenqon  go  away,  without  making  any 
attempt  to  detain  him  ;  but  he  had  scarcely  more  than  disap- 
peared down  the  corridor  when  he  returned. 

"  Listen,  Marguerite,"  he  said,  "  I  had  forgotten  to  tell  you 
one  thing ;  that  is,  that  by  this  time  to-morrow  the  King  of 
Navarre  will  be  dead." 

Marguerite  uttered  a  cry,  for  the  idea  that  she  was  the 
instrument  of  assassination  caused  in  her  a  terror  she  could  not 
subdue. 

"  And  you  will  not  prevent  his  death  ?  "  she  said ;  "  you  will 
not  save  your  best  and  most  faithful  ally  ?" 

"  Since  yesterday  the  King  of  Navarre  is  no  longer  my  ally." 

"  Who  is,  pray  ?  " 

"  Monsieur  de  Guise.  By  destroying  the  Huguenots,  Mon- 
sieur de  Guise  has  become  the  king  of  the  Catholics." 

"  And  does  a  son  of  Henry  II.  recognize  a  duke  of  Lorraine 
as  his  king  ?  " 

"  You  are  in  a  bad  frame  of  mind,  Marguerite,  and  you  do 
not  understand  anything." 

"  I  confess  that  I  try  in  vain  to  read  your  thoughts." 

"  Sister,  you  are  of  as  good  a  house  as  the  Princesse  de  Por- 
cian;  De  Guise  is  no  more  immortal  than  the  King  of 
Navarre.  Now,  then,  Marguerite,  suppose  three  things,  three 
possibilities :  first,  suppose  monsieur  is  chosen  King  of 
Poland ;  the  second,  that  you  loved  me  as  I  love  you ;  well,  I 
am  King  of  France,  and  you  are  —  queen  of  the  Catholics." 

Marguerite  hid  her  face  in  her  hands,  overwhelmed  at  the 
depth  of  the  views  of  this  youth,  whom  no  one  at  court  thought 
possessed  of  even  common  understanding. 

"  But,"  she  asked  after  a  moment's  silence,  "  I  hope  you  are 
not  jealous  of  Monsieur  le  Due  de  Guise  as  you  were  of  the 
King  of  Navarre  !  " 

"  What  is  done  is  done,"  said  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  in  a 
muffled  voice,  "and  if  I  had  to  be  jealous  of  the  Due  de  Guise, 
well,  then,  I  was !  " 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  that  can  prevent  this  capital  plan 
from  succeeding,  brother." 

«  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

"  That  I  no  longer  love  the  Due  de  Guise." 

"  And  whom,  pray,  do  you  love  ?  " 

"  No  one." 


THE    HAWTHORN    OF    THE    CEMETERY.        121 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  looked  at  Marguerite  with  the  astonish- 
ment of  a  man  who  takes  his  turn  in  failing  to  understand, 
and  left  the  room,  pressing  his  icy  hand  on  his  forehead,  which 
ached  to  bursting. 

Marguerite  remained  alone  and  thoughtful ;  the  situation 
was  beginning  to  take  a  clear  and  definite  shape  before  her 
eyes ;  the  King  had  permitted  Saint  Bartholomew's,  Queen 
Catharine  and  the  Due  de  Guise  had  put  it  into  execution. 
The  Due  de  Guise  and  the  Due  d'Alenqon  were  about  to  join 
partnership  so  as  to  get  the  greatest  possible  advantage.  The 
death  of  the  King  of  Navarre  would  be  a  natural  result  of  this 
great  catastrophe.  With  the  King  of  Navarre  out  of  the  way, 
his  kingdom  would  be  seized  upon,  Marguerite  would  be  left  a 
throneless,  impotent  widow  with  no  other  prospect  before  her 
than  a  nunnery,  where  she  would  not  even  have  the  sad  con- 
solation of  weeping  for  a  consort  who  had  never  been  her 
husband. 

She  was  still  in  the  same  position  when  Queen  Catharine 
sent  to  ask  if  she  would  not  like  to  go  with  her  and  the  whole 
court  on  a  pious  visitation  to  the  hawthorn  of  the  Cemetery 
of  the  Innocents.  Marguerite's  first  impulse  was  to  refuse  to 
take  part  in  this  cavalcade.  But  the  thought  that  this  excur- 
sion might  possibly  give  her  a  chance  to  learn  something  new 
about  the  King  of  Navarre's  fate  decided  her  to  go.  So  she 
sent  word  that  if  they  would  have  a  palfrey  ready  for  her  she 
would  willingly  go  with  their  majesties. 

Five  minutes  later  a  page  came  to  ask  if  she  was  ready  to 
go  down,  for  the  procession  was  preparing  to  start. 

Marguerite  warned  Gillonne  by  a  gesture  to  look  after  the 
wounded  man  and  so  went  downstairs. 

The  King,  the  queen  mother,  Tavannes,  and  the  principal 
Catholics  were  already  mounted.  Marguerite  cast  a  rapid 
glance  over  the  group,  which  was  composed  of  about  a  score  of 
persons ;  the  King  of  Navarre  was  not  of  the  party. 

Madame  de  Sauve  was  there.  Marguerite  exchanged  a 
glance  with  her,  and  was  convinced  that  her  husband's  mistress 
had  something  to  tell  her. 

They  rode  down  the  Rue  de  1'Astruce  and  entered  into  the 
Hue  Saint  Honore.  As  the  populace  caught  sight  of  the  King, 
Queen  Catharine,  and  the  principal  Catholics  they  flocked 
together  and  followed  the  procession  like  a  rising  tide,  and 
shouts  rent  the  air. 


122  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Vive  le  Roi  !  " 

"  Vive  la  Messe." 

"  Death  to  the  Huguenots  ! " 

These  acclamations  were  accompanied  by  the  waving  of 
ensanguined  swords  and  smoking  arquebuses,  which  showed 
the  part  each  had  taken  in  the  awful  work  just  accomplished. 

When  they  reached  the  top  of  the  Rue  des  Prouvelles  they 
met  some  men  who  were  dragging  a  headless  carcass.  It  was 
the  admiral's.  The  men  were  going  to  hang  it  by  the  feet  at 
Montfaucon. 

They  entered  the  Cemetery  des  Saints  Innocents  by  the  gate 
facing  the  Rue  des  Chaps,  now  known  as  the  Rue  des  Dechar- 
geurs ;  the  clergy,  notified  in  advance  of  the  visit  of  the  King 
and  the  queen  mother,  were  waiting  for  their  majesties  to 
make  them  speeches. 

Madame  de  Sauve  took  advantage  of  a  moment  when  Catha- 
rine was  listening  to  one  of  the  discourses  to  approach  the 
Queen  of  Navarre,  and  beg  leave  to  kiss  her  hand.  Mar- 
guerite extended  her  arm  toward  her,  and  Madame  de  Sauve, 
as  she  kissed  the  queen's  hand,  slipped  a  tiny  roll  of  paper  up 
her  sleeve. 

Madame  de  Sauve  drew  back  quickly  and  with  clever  dis- 
simulation ;  yet  Catharine  perceived  it,  and  turned  round 
just  as  the  maid  of  honor  was  kissing  Marguerite's  hand. 

The  two  women  saw  her  glance,  which  penetrated  them 
like  a  flash  of  lightning,  but  both  remained  unmoved ;  only 
Madame  de  Sauve  left  Marguerite  and  resumed  her  place 
near  Catharine. 

When  Catharine  had  finished  replying  to  the  address  which 
had  just  been  made  to  her  she  smiled  and  beckoned  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  to  go  to  her. 

"  Eh,  my  daughter,"  said  the  queen  mother,  in  her  Italian 
patois,  "  so  you  are  on  intimate  terms  with  Madame  de  Sauve, 
are  you  ?  " 

Marguerite  smiled  in  turn,  and  gave  to  her  lovely  counte- 
nance the  bitterest  expression  she  could,  and  replied  : 

"  Yes,  mother;  the  serpent  came  to  bite  my  hand  !  " 

"  Aha !  "  replied  Catharine,  with  a  smile  ;  "  you  are  jealous, 
I  think ! " 

"  You  are  mistaken,  madame,"  replied  Marguerite  ;  "  I  am 
no  more  jealous  of  the  King  of  Navarre  than  the  King  of  Na- 
varre is  in  love  with  me,  but  I  know  how  to  distinguish  my 


THE    HAWTHORN    OF    THE    CEMETERY.        123 

friends  from  my  enemies.  I  like  those  that  like  me,  and 
detest  those  that  hate  me.  Otherwise,  madame,  should  I  be 
your  daughter  ?  " 

Catharine  smiled  so  as  to  make  Marguerite  understand  that 
if  she  had  had  any  suspicion  it  had  vanished. 

Moreover,  at  that  instant  the  arrival  of  other  pilgrims 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  august  throng. 

The  Due  de  Guise  came  with  a  troop  of  gentlemen  all  warm 
still  from  recent  carnage.  They  escorted  a  richly  decorated 
litter,  which  stopped  in  front  of  the  King. 

"  The  Duchesse  de  Nevers  !  "  cried  Charles  IX.,  "  Ah  !  let 
that  lovely  robust  Catholic  come  and  receive  our  compliments. 
Why,  they  tell  me,  cousin,  that  from  your  own  window  you  have 
been  hunting  Huguenots,  and  that  you  killed  one  with  a  stone." 

The  Duchesse  de  Nevers  blushed  exceedingly  red. 

"  Sire,"  she  said  in  a  low  tone,  and  kneeling  before  the 
King,  "on  the  contrary,  it  was  a  wounded  Catholic  whom  I  had 
the  good  fortune  to  rescue." 

"  Good  —  good,  my  cousin !  there  are  two  ways  of  serving 
me :  one  is  by  exterminating  my  enemies,  the  other  is  by  rescu- 
ing my  friends.  One  does  what  one  can,  and  I  ain  certain 
that  if  you  could  have  done  more  you  would !  " 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  populace,  seeing  the  harmony 
existing  between  the  house  of  Lorraine  and  Charles  IX., 
shouted  exultantly : 

«  Vive  le  Roi !  " 

"  Vive  le  Due  de  Guise !  " 

"  Vive  la  Messe  !  " 

"  Do  you  return  to  the  Louvre  with  us,  Henriette  ?  "  in- 
quired the  queen  mother  of  the  lovely  duchess. 

Marguerite  touched  her  friend  on  the  elbow,  and  she,  under- 
standing the  sign,  replied  : 

"  No,  madame,  unless  your  majesty  desire  it ;  for  I  have 
business  in  the  city  with  her  majesty  the  Queen  of  Navarre." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  do  together  ?  "  inquired  Cath- 
arine. 

"  To  see  some  very  rare  and  curious  Greek  books  found  at 
an  old  Protestant  pastor's,  and  which  have  been  taken  to  the 
Tower  of  Saint  Jacques  la  Boucherie,"  replied  Marguerite. 

"  You  would  do  much  better  to  see  the  last  Huguenots  flung 
into  the  Seine  from  the  top  of  the  Pont  des  Meuniers,"  said 
Charles  IX. ;  "  that  is  the  place  for  all  good  Frenchmen." 


124  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"We  will  go,  if  it  be  your  Majesty's  desire,"  replied  the 
Duchesse  de  Nevers. 

Catharine  cast  a  look  of  distrust  on  the  two  young  women. 
Marguerite,  on  the  watch,  remarked  it,  and  turning  round 
uneasily,  looked  about  her. 

This  assumed  or  real  anxiety  did  not  escape  Catharine. 

"  What  are  you  looking  for  ?  " 

"  I  am  seeking  —  I  do  not  see  "  —  she  replied. 

"  Whom  are  you  seeking  ?     Who  is  it  you  fail  to  see  ?  " 

"  La  Sauve,"  said  Marguerite  ;  "  can  she  have  returned  to 
the  Louvre?" 

"  Did  I  not  say  you  were  jealous  ?  "  said  Catharine,  in  her 
daughter's  ear.  "  Oh,  bestia !  Come,  come,  Henriette,"  she 
added,  shrugging  her  shoulders,  "  begone,  and  take  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  with  you." 

Marguerite  pretended  to  be  still  looking  about  her ;  then, 
turning  to  her  friend,  she  said  in  a  whisper  : 

"  Take  me  away  quickly  ;  I  have  something  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  say  to  you." 

The  duchess  courtesied  to  the  King  and  queen  mother,  and 
then,  bowing  low  before  the  Queen  of  Navarre  : 

"  Will  your  majesty  deign  to  come  into  my  litter  ?" 

"  Willingly,  only  you  will  have  to  take  me  back  to  the 
Louvre." 

"  My  litter,  like  my  servants  and  myself,  are  at  your 
majesty's  orders." 

Queen  Marguerite  entered  the  litter,  while  Catharine  and 
her  gentlemen  returned  to  the  Louvre  just  as  they  had  come. 
But  during  the  route  it  was  observed  that  the  queen  mother 
kept  talking  to  the  King,  pointing  several  times  to  Madame 
de  Sauve,  and  at  each  time  the  King  laughed  —  as  Charles  IX. 
laughed ;  that  is,  with  a  laugh  more  sinister  than  a  threat. 

As  soon  as  Marguerite  felt  the  litter  in  motion,  and  had  no 
longer  to  fear  Catharine's  searching  eyes,  she  quickly  drew 
from  her  sleeve  Madame  de  Sauve's  note  and  read  as  follows : 

"  /  have  received  orders  to  send  to-night  to  the  King  of 
Navarre  two  keys  ;  one  is  that  of  the  room  in  which  he  is  shut 
up,  and  the  other  is  the  key  of  my  chamber  ;  when  once  he  has 
reached  my  apartment,  I  am  enjoined  to  keep  him  there  until 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"  Let  your  majesty  rejiect  —  let  your  majesty  decide.  Let 
your  majesty  esteem  my  life  as  nothing" 


MUTUAL    CONFIDENCES.  125 

"  There  is  now  no  doubt,"  murmured  Marguerite,  "  and  the 
poor  woman  is  the  tool  of  which  they  wish  to  make  use  to 
destroy  us  all.  But  we  will  see  if  the  Queen  Margot,  as  my 
brother  Charles  calls  me,  is  so  easily  to  be  made  a  nun  of." 

"  Tell  me,  whom  is  the  letter  from  ?  "  asked  the  Duchesse  de 
Nevers. 

"  Ah,  duchess,  I  have  so  many  things  to  say  to  you  ! " 
replied  Marguerite,  tearing  the  note  into  a  thousand  bits. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

MUTUAL    CONFIDENCES. 

"  AND,  first,  where  are  we  going  ?  "  asked  Marguerite  ;  "  not 
to  the  Pont  des  Meuniers,  I  suppose,  —  I  have  seen  enough 
slaughter  since  yesterday,  my  poor  Henriette." 

"  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  conduct  your  majesty  " — 

"First  and  foremost,  my  majesty  requests  you  to  forget  my 
majesty  —  you  were  taking  me  " — 

"  To  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  unless  you  decide  otherwise." 

"  No,  no,  let  us  go  there,  Henriette  ;  the  Due  de  Guise  is  not 
there,  your  husband  is  not  there." 

"  Oh,  no,"  cried  the  duchess,  her  bright  emerald  eyes  spark- 
ling with  joy ;  "  no,  neither  my  husband,  nor  my  brother-in- 
law,  nor  any  one  else.  I  am  free  —  free  as  air,  free  as  a  bird, 
—  free,  my  queen  !  Do  you  understand  the  happiness  there  is 
in  that  word  ?  I  go,  I  come,  I  command.  Ah,  poor  queen, 
you  are  not  free  —  and  so  you  sigh." 

"  You  go,  you  come,  you  command.  Is  that  all  ?  Is  that 
all  the  use  of  liberty  ?  You  are  happy  with  only  freedom  as 
an  excuse ! " 

"  Your  majesty  promised  to  tell  me  a  secret." 

"  Again  '  your  majesty  ' !  I  shall  be  angry  soon,  Henriette. 
Have  you  forgotten  our  agreement  ?  " 

"  No  ;  your  respectful  servant  in  public  —  in  private,  your 
madcap  confidante,  is  it  not  so,  madame  ?  Is  it  not  so, 
Marguerite  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  queen,  smiling. 

"  No  family  rivalry,  no  treachery  in  love  ;  everything  fair, 
open,  and  aboveboard !  An  offensive  and  defensive  alliance, 


126  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

for  the  sole  purpose  of  finding  and,  if  we  can,  catching  on  the 
fly,  that  ephemeral  thing  called  happiness." 

"  Just  so,  duchess.  Let  us  again  seal  the  compact  with  a 
kiss." 

And  the  two  beautiful  women,  the  one  so  pale,  so  full  of 
melancholy,  the  other  so  roseate,  so  fair,  so  animated,  joined 
their  lips  as  they  had  united  their  thoughts. 

"  Tell  me,  what  is  there  new  ?  "  asked  the  duchess,  giving 
Marguerite  an  eager,  inquisitive  look. 

"Is  n't  everything  new  since  day  before  yesterday  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  am  speaking  of  love,  not  of  politics.  When  we  are 
as  old  as  dame  Catharine  we  will  take  part  in  politics  ;  but  we 
are  only  twenty,  my  pretty  queen,  and  so  let  us  talk  about 
something  else.  Let  me  see  !  can  it  be  that  you  are  really 
married  ?  " 

"  To  whom  ?  "  asked  Marguerite,  laughing. 

"  Ah  !  you  reassure  me,  truly  ! " 

"  Well,  Henriette,  that  which  reassures  you,  alarms  me. 
Duchess,  I  must  be  married." 

«  When  ?  " 

"  To-morrow." 

"  Oh,  poor  little  friend  !  and  is  it  necessary  ?  " 

"  Absolutely." 

"  Mordi !  as  an  acquaintance  of  mine  says,  this  is  very 
sad." 

"  And  so  you  know  some  one  who  says  mordi  ? "  asked 
Marguerite,  with  a  smile. 

«  Yes." 

"  And  who  is  this  some  one  ?  " 

"  You  keep  asking  me  questions  when  I  am  talking  to  you. 
Finish  and  I  will  begin." 

"  In  two  words,  it  is  this :  The  King  of  Navarre  is  in  love, 
and  not  with  me ;  I  am  not  in  love,  but  I  do  not  want  him,  yet 
we  must  both  of  us  change,  or  seem  to  change,  between  now 
and  to-morrow." 

"  Well,  then,  you  change,  and  be  very  sure  he  will  do  the 
same." 

"  That  is  quite  impossible,  for  I  am  less  than  ever  inclined 
to  change." 

"  Only  with  respect  to  your  husband,  I  hope." 

"  Henriette,  I  have  a  scruple." 

"  A  scruple  !  about  what  ?  " 


MUTUAL    CONFIDENCES.  127 

"  A  religious  one.  Do  you  make  any  difference  between 
Huguenots  and  Catholics  ?  " 

"  In  politics  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Of  course." 

"  And  in  love  ?  " 

"  My  dear  girl,  we  women  are  such  heathens  that  we  admit 
every  kind  of  sect,  and  recognize  many  gods." 

"  In  one,  eh  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  duchess,  her  eyes  sparkling ;  "  he  who  is 
called  Eros,  Cupido,  Amor.  He  who  has  a  quiver  on  his  back, 
wings  on  his  shoulders,  and  a  fillet  over  his  eyes.  Mordi, 
vive  la  devotion  !  " 

"  You  have  a  peculiar  method  of  praying  ;  you  throw  stones 
on  the  heads  of  Huguenots." 

"  Let  us  do  our  duty  and  let  people  talk.  Ah,  Marguerite  ! 
how  the  finest  ideas,  the  noblest  actions,  are  spoilt  in  passing 
through  the  mouths  of  the  vulgar  !  " 

"  The  vulgar !  —  why,  it  was  my  brother  Charles  who  con- 
gratulated you  on  your  exploits,  was  n't  it  ?  " 

"  Your  brother  Charles  is  a  mighty  hunter  blowing  the  horn 
all  day,  and  that  makes  him  very  thin.  I  reject  his  compli- 
ments ;  besides,  I  gave  him  his  answer  —  did  n't  you  hear  what 
I  said  ?  " 

"  No ;  you  spoke  so  low." 

"  So  much  the  better.  I  shall  have  more  news  to  tell  you. 
Now,  then,  finish  your  story,  Marguerite." 

"  I  was  going  to  say  — -  to  say  "  — 

"Well?" 

"  I  was  going  to  say,"  continued  the  queen,  laughing,  "  if 
the  stone  my  brother  spoke  of  be  a  fact,  I  should  resist." 

"  Ah  !  "  cried  Henriette,  "  so  you  have  chosen  a  Huguenot, 
have  you  ?  Well,  to  reassure  your  conscience,  I  promise  you 
that  I.  will  choose  one  myself  on  the  first  opportunity." 

"  Ah,  so  you  have  chosen  a  Catholic,  have  you  ?  " 

"  Mordi  !  "  replied  the  duchess. 

"  I  see,  I  see." 

"  And  what  is  this  Huguenot  of  yours  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  choose  him.  The  young  man  is  nothing  and 
probably  never  will  be  anything  to  me." 

"  But  what  sort  is  he  ?  You  can  tell  me  that :  you  know 
how  curious  I  am  about  these  matters." 


128  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"A  poor  young  fellow,  beautiful  as  Benvenuto  Cellini's 
Nisus,  —  and  he  came  and  took  refuge  in  my  room." 

"  Oho !  —  of  course  without  any  suggestion  on  your  part  ?  " 

"  Poor  fellow !  Do  not  laugh  so,  Henriette  ;  at  this  very 
moment  he  is  between  life  and  death." 

"  He  is  ill,  is  he  ?  " 

"  He  is  grievously  wounded." 

"A  wounded  Huguenot  is  very  disagreeable,  especially  in 
these  times ;  and  what  have  you  done  with  this  wounded 
Huguenot,  who  is  not  and  never  will  be  anything  to  you  ?  " 

"  He  is  in  my  closet;  I  am  concealing  him  and  I  want  to 
save  him." 

"  He  is  handsome  !  he  is  young !  he  is  wounded.  You  hide 
him  in  your  closet ;  you  want  to  save  him.  This  Huguenot  of 
yours  will  be  very  ungrateful  if  he  is  not  too  grateful." 

"  I  am  afraid  he  is  already  —  much  more  so  than  I  could 
wish." 

"  And  this  poor  young  man  interests  you  ?  " 

"  From  motives  of  humanity  —  that 's  all." 

"  Ah,  humanity  !  my  poor  queen,  that  is  the  very  virtue 
that  is  the  ruin  of  all  of  us  women." 

"  Yes  ;  and  you  understand :  as  the  King,  the  Due  d'  Alen- 
QOU,  my  mother,  even  my  husband,  may  at  any  moment  enter 
my  room  "  — 

"  You  want  me  to  hide  your  little  Huguenot  as  long  as  he  is 
ill,  on  condition  I  send  him  back  to  you  when  he  is  cured  ?  " 

"  Scoffer ! "  said  Marguerite,  "  no !  I  do  not  lay  my  plans  so  far 
in  advance ;  but  if  you  could  conceal  the  poor  fellow,  —  if  you 
could  preserve  the  life  I  have  saved,  —  I  confess  I  should  be 
most  grateful.  You  are  free  at  the  Hotel  de  Guise ;  you  have 
neither  brother-in-law  nor  husband  to  spy  on  you  or  constrain 
you  ;  besides,  behind  your  room  there  is  a  closet  like  mine 
into  which  no  one  is  entitled  to  enter;  so  lend  me  your  closet 
for  my  Huguenot,  and  when  he  is  cured  open  the  cage  and  let 
the  bird  fly  away." 

"There  is  only  one  difficulty,  my  dear  queen:  the  cage  is 
already  occupied." 

"  What,  have  you  also  saved  somebody  ?  " 

"  That  is  exactly  what  I  answered  your  brother  with." 

"  Ah,  I  understand  !  that 's  why  you  spoke  so  low  that  I 
could  not  hear  you." 

"  Listen,  Marguerite :  it  is   an  admirable  story  —  is  no  less 


MUTUAL    CONFIDENCES.  129 

poetical  and  romantic  than  yours.  After  I  had  left  you  six  of 
my  guards,  I  returned  with  the  rest  to  the  Hotel  de  Guise, 
and  I  was  watching  them  pillage  and  burn  a  house  separated 
from  my  brother's  palace  only  by  the  Rue  des  Quatre  Fils, 
when  I  heard  the  voices  of  men  swearing  and  of  women  cry- 
ing. I  went  out  on  the  balcony  and  the  first  thing  I  saw  was 
a  sword  flashing  so  brilliantly  that  it  seemed  to  light  up  the 
whole  scene.  I  was  filled  with  admiration  for  this  fiery  sword. 
I  am  fond  of  fine  things,  you  know !  Then  naturally  enough  I 
tried  to  distinguish  the  arm  wielding  it  and  then  the  body  to 
which  the  arm  belonged.  Amid  sword-thrusts  and  shouts  I  at 
last  made  out  the  man  and  I  saw  —  a  hero,  an  Ajax  Telemon. 
I  heard  a  voice  —  the  voice  of  a  Stentor.  My  enthusiasm 
awoke  —  I  stood  there  panting,  trembling  at  every  blow  aimed 
at  him,  at  every  thrust  he  parried !  That  was  a  quarter 
hour  of  emotion  such  as  I  had  never  before  experienced,  my 
queen  ;  and  never  believed  was  possible  to  experience.  So 
there  I  was  panting,  holding  my  breath,  trembling,  and  voice- 
less, when  all  of  a  sudden  my  hero  disappeared." 

«  How  ?  " 

"  Struck  down  by  a  stone  an  old  woman  threw  at  him.  Then, 
like  Cyrus,  I  found  my  voice,  and  screamed,  <  Help  !  help ! ' 
my  guards  went  out,  lifted  him  up,  and  bore  him  to  the  room 
which  you  want  for  your  protege" 

"  Alas,  my  dear  Henriette,  I  can  better  understand  this 
story  because  it  is  so  nearly  my  own." 

"  With  this  difference,  queen,  that  as  I  am  serving  my  King 
and  my  religion,  I  have  no  reason  to  send  Monsieur  Annibal  de 
Coconnas  away."  « 

"  His  name  is  Annibal  de  Coconnas ! "  said  Marguerite, 
laughing. 

"  A  terrible  name,  is  it  not  ?  Well,  he  who  bears  it  is 
worthy  of  it.  What  a  champion  he  is,  by  Heaven !  and  how  he 
made  the  blood  flow !  Put  on  your  mask,  my  queen,  for  we 
are  now  at  the  palace." 

"  Why  put  on  my  mask  ?  " 

"  Because  I  wish  to  show  you  my  hero." 

"  Is  he  handsome  ?  " 

"  He  seemed  magnificent  to  me  during  the  conflict.  To  be 
sure,  it  was  at  night  and  he  was  lighted  up  by  the  flames. 
This  morning  by  daylight  I  confess  he  seemed  to  me  to  have 
lost  a  little.'' 


130  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  So  then  my  protege  is  rejected  at  the  Hotel  de  Guise.  I 
am  sorry  for  it,  for  that  is  the  last  place  where  they  would 
look  for  a  Huguenot." 

"  Oh,  no,  your  Huguenot  shall  come ;  I  will  have  him 
brought  this  evening :  one  shall  sleep  in  the  right-hand  corner 
of  the  closet  and  the  other  in  the  left." 

"  But  when  they  recognize  each  other  as  Protestant  and 
Catholic  they  will  fight." 

"  Oh,  there  is  no  danger.  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  has  had  a 
cut  down  the  face  that  prevents  him  from  seeing  very  well ; 
your  Huguenot  is  wounded  in  the  chest  so  that  he  can't  move ; 
and,  besides,  you  have  only  to  tell  him  to  be  silent  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  and  all  will  go  well." 

"  So  be  it." 

"  It 's  a  bargain ;  and  now  let  us  go  in." 

"  Thanks,"  said  Marguerite,  pressing  her  friend's  hand. 

"  Here,  madame,"  said  the  duchess,  "  you  are  again  '  your 
majesty ; '  suffer  me,  then,  to  do  the  honors  of  the  Hotel  de 
Guise  fittingly  for  the  Queen  of  Navarre." 

And  the  duchess,  alighting  from  the  litter,  almost  knelt  on 
the  ground  in  helping  Marguerite  to  step  down ;  then  pointing 
to  the  palace  door  guarded  by  two  sentinels,  arquebuse  in  hand, 
she  followed  the  queen  at  a  respectful  distance,  and  this 
humble  attitude  she  maintained  as  long  as  she  was  in  sight. 

As  soon  as  she  reached  her  room,  the  duchess  closed  the 
door,  and,  calling  to  her  waiting-woman,  a  thorough  Sicilian, 
said  to  her  in  Italian, 

"  Mica,  how  is  Monsieur  le  Comte  ?  " 

"Better  and  better,"  replied  she. 

"  What  is  he  doing  ?  " 

"  At  this  moment,  madame,  he  is  taking  some  refreshment." 

"  It  is  always  a  good  sign,"  said  Marguerite,  "  when  the 
appetite  returns." 

"  Ah,  that  is  true.  I  forgot  you  were  a  pupil  of  Ambroise 
Pare.  Leave  us,  Mica." 

"  Why  do  you  send  her  away  ?  " 

"  That  she  may  be  on  the  watch." 

Mica  left  the  room. 

"Now,"  said  the  duchess,  "will  you  go  in  to  see  him,  or 
shall  I  send  for  him  here  ?  " 

"  Neither  the  one  nor  the  other.  I  wish  to  see  him  without 
his  seeing  me." 


MUTUAL    CONFIDENCES.  131 

"  What  matters  it  ?     You  have  your  mask." 

"  He  may  recognize  me  by  my  hair,  iny  hands,  a  jewel." 

"  How  cautious  she  is  since  she  has  been  married,  my  pretty 
queen ! " 

Marguerite  smiled. 

"  Well,"  continued  the  duchess,  "  I  see  only  one  way." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  To  look  through  the  keyhole." 

"  Very  well !  take  me  to  the  door." 

The  duchess  took  Marguerite  by  the  hand  and  led  her  to  a 
door  covered  with  tapestry  ;  then  bending  one  knee,  she  applied 
her  eye  to  the  keyhole. 

"  'T  is  all  right ;  he  is  sitting  at  table,  with  his  face  turned 
toward  us  ;  come  !  " 

The  queen  took  her  friend's  place,  and  looked  through  the 
keyhole  ;  Coconnas,  as  the  duchess  had  said,  was  sitting  at  a 
well-served  table,  and,  despite  his  wounds,  was  doing  ample 
justice  to  the  good  things  before  him. 

"  Ah,  great  heavens  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  starting  back. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  the  duchess  in  amazement. 

"  Impossible  !  —  no !  —  yes  !  — -  on  my  soul,  't  is  the  very 
man ! " 

«  Who  ?  " 

"  Hush,"  said  Marguerite,  getting  to  her  feet  and  seizing  the 
duchess's  hand;  "  'tis  the  man  who  pursued  my  Huguenot  into 
my  room,  and  stabbed  him  in  my  arms !  Oh,  Heuriette,  how 
fortunate  he  did  not  see  me  ! " 

"  Well,  then,  you  have  seen  him  fighting ;  was  he  not  hand- 
some ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Marguerite,  "  for  I  was  looking  at 
the  man  he  was  pursuing." 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  " 

"  You  will  not  mention  it  before  the  count  ?  " 

"  No,  I  give  you  my  promise  !  " 

"  Lerac  de  la  Mole." 

"  And  what  do  you  think  of  him  now  ?  " 

"  Of  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  No,  of  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  ?  " 

"  Faith  !  "  said  Marguerite,  "  I  confess  I  think  " 

She  stopped. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  the  duchess,  "  I  see  you  are  angry  with 
him  for  having  wounded  your  Huguenot." 


132  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Why,  so  far,"  said  Marguerite,  laughing,  "  my  Huguenot 
owes  him  nothing  ;  the  slash  he  gave  him  under  his  eye  "  — 

"  They  are  quits,  then,  and  we  can  reconcile  them.  Send 
me  your  wounded  man." 

"  Not  now  —  by  and  by." 

«  When  ?  " 

"When  you  have  found  yours  another  room." 

«  Which  ?  " 

Marguerite  looked  meaningly  at  her  friend,  who,  after  a 
moment's  silence,  laughed. 

"  So  be  it,"  said  the  duchess  ;  "  alliance  firmer  than  ever." 

"  Friendship  ever  sincere  ! " 

"  And  the  word,  in  case  we  need  each  other  ?  " 

"  The  triple  name  of  your  triple  god,  '  Eros,  Cupido,  Amor.'  " 

And  the  two  princesses  separated  after  one  more  kiss,  and 
pressing  each  other's  hand  for  the  twentieth  time. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

HOW     THERE     ARE    KEYS     WHICH    OPEN    DOORS     THEY     ARE    NOT 
MEANT    FOR. 

THE  Queen  of  Navarre  on  her  return  to  the  Louvre  found 
Gillonne  in  great  excitement.  Madame  de  Sauve  had  been 
there  in  her  absence.  She  had  brought  a  key  sent  her  by  the 
queen  mother.  It  was  the  key  of  the  room  in  which  Henry 
was  confined.  It  was  evident  that  the  queen  mother  for  some 
purpose  of  her  own  wished  the  Bearnais  to  spend  that  night  in 
Madame  de  Sauve's  apartment. 

Marguerite  took  the  key  and  turned  it  over  and  over ;  she 
made  Gillonne  repeat  Madame  de  Sauve's  every  word,  weighed 
them,  letter  by  letter,  in  her  mind,  and  at  length  thought  she 
detected  Catharine's  plan. 

She  took  pen  and  ink,  and  wrote : 

"  Instead  of  going  to  Madame  de  Sauve  to-night,  come  to 
the  Queen  of  Navarre. 

"  MARGUERITE." 

She  rolled  up  the  paper,  put  it  in  the  hollow  of  the  key, 
and  ordered  Gillonne  to  slip  the  key  under  the  king's  door  as 
soon  as  it  was  dark. 


THERE    ARE    KEYS    WHICH    OPEN    DOORS.       133 

This  first  duty  having  been  attended  to,  Marguerite  thought 
of  the  wounded  man,  closed  all  the  doors,  entered  the  closet, 
and,  to  her  great  surprise,  found  La  Mole  dressed  in  all  his 
clothes,  torn  and  blood-stained  as  they  were. 

On  seeing  her  he  strove  to  rise,  but,  still  dizzy,  could  not 
stand,  and  fell  back  upon  the  sofa  which  had  served  for  his 
bed. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  sir  ?  "  asked  Marguerite  ;  "  and  why  do 
you  thus  disobey  your  physician's  orders  ?  I  recommended 
you  rest,  and  instead  of  following  my  advice  you  do  just  the 
contrary." 

"  Oh,  madame,"  said  Gillonne,  "  it  is  not  my  fault ;  I  have 
entreated  Monsieur  le  Comte  not  to  commit  this  folly,  but  he 
declares  that  nothing  shall  keep  him  any  longer  at  the  Louvre." 

"  Leave  the  Louvre  ! "  said  Marguerite,  gazing  with  astonish- 
ment at  the  young  man,  who  cast  down  his  eyes.  "  Why,  it  is 
impossible  —  you  cannot  walk ;  you  are  pale  and  weak ;  your 
knees  tremble.  Only  a  few  hours  ago  the  wound  in  your 
shoulder  was  still  bleeding." 

"  Madame,"  said  the  young  man,  "  as  earnestly  as  I  thanked 
your  majesty  for  having  given  me  shelter,  as  earnestly  do  I 
pray  you  now  to  suffer  me  to  depart." 

"  I  scarcely  know  what  to  call  such  a  resolution,"  said  Mar- 
guerite ;  "  it  is  worse  than  ingratitude." 

"  Oh,"  cried  La  Mole,  clasping  his  hands,  "  think  me  not  un- 
grateful ;  my  gratitude  will  cease  only  with  ray  life." 

"  It  will  not  last  long,  then,"  said  Marguerite,  moved  at  these 
words,  the  sincerity  of  which  it  was  impossible  to  doubt ;  "  for 
your  wounds  will  open,  and  you  will  die  from  loss  of  blood,  or 
you  will  be  recognized  for  a  Huguenot  and  killed  ere  you 
have  gone  fifty  yards  in  the  street." 

"Nevertheless  I  must  leave  the  Louvre,"  murmured  La 
Mole. 

"  Must,"  returned  Marguerite,  fixing  her  serene,  inscrutable 
eyes  upon  him ;  then  turning  rather  pale  she  added,  "  ah, 
yes ;  forgive  me,  sir,  I  understand  ;  doubtless  there  is  some 
one  outside  the  Louvre  who  is  anxiously  waiting  for  you.  You 
are  right,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole ;  it  is  natural,  and  I  under- 
stand it.  Why  did  n't  you  say  so  at  first  ?  or  rather,  why 
did  n't  I  think  of  it  myself  ?  It  is  duty  in  the  exercise  of  hos- 
pitality to  protect  one's  guest's  affections  as  well  as  to  cure  his 
wou'nds,  and  to  care  for  the  spirit  just  as  one  cares  for  the  body." 


134  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Alas,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  you  are  laboring  under  a 
strange  mistake.  I  am  well  nigh  alone  in  the  world,  and 
altogether  so  in  Paris,  where  no  one  knows  me.  My  assassin 
is  the  first  man  I  have  spoken  to  in  this  city ;  your  majesty 
the  first  woman  who  has  spoken  to  me." 

"  Then,"  said  Marguerite,  "  why  would  you  go  ?  " 

"  Because,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  last  night  you  got  no  rest, 
and  to-night " 

Marguerite  blushed. 

"  Gillonne,"  said  she,  "  it  is  already  evening  and  time  to 
deliver  that  key." 

Gillonne  smiled,  and  left  the  room. 

"But,"  continued  Marguerite,  "if  you  are  alone  in  Paris, 
without  friends,  what  will  you  do  ?  " 

"  Madame,  I  soon  shall  have  friends  enough,  for  while  I  was 
pursued  I  thought  of  my  mother,  who  was  a  Catholic  ;  me- 
thought  I  saw  her  with  a  cross  in  her  hand  gliding  before  me 
toward  the  Louvre,  and  I  vowed  that  if  God  should  save  my 
life  I  would  embrace  my  mother's  religion.  Madame,  God 
did  more  than  save  my  life,  he  sent  me  one  of  his  angels  to 
make  me  love  life." 

"  But  you  cannot  walk  ;  before  you  have  gone  a  hundred 
steps  you  will  faint  away." 

"  Madame,  I  have  made  the  experiment  in  the  closet,  I 
walk  slowly  and  painfully,  it  is  true  ;  but  let  me  get  as  far  as 
the  Place  du  Louvre ;  once  outside,  let  befall  what  will." 

Marguerite  leaned  her  head  on  her  hand  and  sank  into  deep 
thought. 

"  And  the  King  of  Navarre,"  said  she,  significantly,  "  you 
no  longer  speak  of  him  ?  In  changing  your  religion,  have 
you  also  changed  your  desire  to  enter  his  service  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  replied  La  Mole,  growing  pale,  "  you  have  just 
hit  upon  the  actual  reason  of  my  departure.  I  know  that  the 
King  of  Navarre  is  exposed  to  the  greatest  danger,  and  that 
all  your  majesty's  influence  as  a  daughter  of  France  will 
barely  suffice  to  save  his  life." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sir,"  exclaimed  Marguerite,  "  and  what 
danger  do  you  refer  to  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  replied  La  Mole,  with  some  hesitation,  "  one 
can  hear  everything  from  the  closet  where  I  am." 

"  'T  is  true,"  said  Marguerite  to  herself ;  "  Monsieur  de  Guise 
told  rne  so  before." 


THERE    ARE    KEYS    WHICH    OPEN   DOORS.       135 

"  Well,"  added  she,  aloud,  "  what  did  you  hear  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  the  conversation  between  your  majesty 
and  your  brother." 

"  With  Francois  ?  "  said  Marguerite,  changing  color. 

"  Yes,  madame,  with  the  Due  d'Alenqon  ;  and  then  after  you 
went  out  I  heard  what  Gillonne  and  Madame  de  Sauve  said." 

"  And  these  two  conversations  "  — 

"  Yes,  madame ;  married  scarcely  a  week,  you  love  your 
husband ;  your  husband  will  come,  in  his  turn,  in  the  same 
way  that  the  Due  d' Alenqon  and  Madame  de  Sauve  came.  He 
will  confide  his  secrets  to  you.  Well,  then,  I  must  not  overhear 
them ;  I  should  be  indiscreet  — I  cannot  —  I  must  not  —  I  will 
not  be  !  " 

By  the  tone  in  which  La  Mole  uttered  these  last  words,  by 
the  anxiety  expressed  in  his  voice,  by  the  embarrassment 
shown  in  his  eyes,  Marguerite  was  enlightened  as  by  a  sudden 
revelation. 

"  Aha  !  "  said  she,  "  so  you  have  heard  everything  that  has 
been  said  in  this  room  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

These  words  were  uttered  in  a  sigh. 

"  And  you  wish  to  depart  to-night,  this  evening,  to  avoid 
hearing  any  more  ?  " 

"  This  moment,  if  it  please  your  majesty  to  allow  me  to  go." 

"  Poor  fellow  ! "  said  Marguerite,  with  a  strange  accent  of 
tender  pity. 

Astonished  by  such  a  gentle  reply  when  he  was  expecting 
a  rather  forcible  outburst,  La  Mole  timidly  raised  his  head  ; 
his  eyes  met  Marguerite's  and  were  riveted  as  by  a  magnetic 
power  on  their  clear  and  limpid  depths. 

"  So  then  you  feel  you  cannot  keep  a  secret,  Monsieur  de 
la  Mole  ?  "  said  Marguerite  in  a  soft  voice  as  she  stood  lean- 
ing on  the  back  of  her  chair,  half  hidden  in  the  shadow  of  a 
thick  tapestry  and  enjoying  the  felicity  of  easily  reading  his 
frank  and  open  soul  while  remaining  impenetrable  herself. 

"  Madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  have  a  miserable  disposition : 
I  distrust  myself,  and  the  happiness  of  another  gives  me 
pain." 

"  Whose  happiness  ?  "  asked  Marguerite,  smiling.  "  Ah,  yes 
—  the  King  of  Navarre's  !  Poor  Henry  ! " 

"  You  see,"  cried  La  Mole,  passionately,  "  he  is  happy." 

«  Happy  ?  " 


136  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Yes,  for  your  majesty  is  sorry  for  him." 

Marguerite  crumpled  up  the  silk  of  her  purse  and  smoothed 
out  the  golden  fringe. 

"  So  then  you  decline  to  see  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  "  said 
she ;  "  you  have  made  up  your  mind ;  you  are  decided  ?  " 

"  I  fear  I  should  be  troublesome  to  his  majesty  just  at  the 
present  time." 

"  But  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  my  brother  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  madarne ! "  cried  La  Mole,  "  the  Due  d'Alempn 
even  still  less  than  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"Why  so?"  asked  Marguerite,  so  stirred  that  her  voice 
trembled  as  she  spoke. 

"  Because,  although  I  am  already  too  bad  a  Huguenot  to  be 
a  faithful  servant  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  I  am  not  a  suffi- 
ciently good  Catholic  to  be  friends  with  the  Due  d'Alentjon  and 
Monsieur  de  Guise." 

This  time  Marguerite  cast  down  her  eyes,  for  she  felt  the 
very  depths  of  her  heart  stirred  by  what  he  said,  and  yet  she 
could  not  have  told  whether  his  reply  was  meant  to  give  her 
joy  or  pain. 

At  this  moment  Gillonne  came  back.  Marguerite  asked  her 
a  question  with  a  glance  ;  Gillonne's  answer,  also  conveyed  by 
her  eyes,  was  in  the  affirmative.  She  had  succeeded  in  getting 
the  key  to  the  King  of  Navarre. 

Marguerite  turned  her  eyes  toward  La  Mole,  who  stood 
before  her,  his  head  drooping  on  his  breast,  pale,  like  one 
suffering  alike  in  mind  and  in  body. 

"Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  proud,"  said  she,  "and  I  hesitate 
to  make  him  a  proposition  he  will  doubtless  reject." 

La  Mole  rose,  took  one  step  toward  Marguerite,  and  was 
about  to  bow  low  before  her  to  signify  that  he  was  at  her 
service ;  but  an  intense,  keen,  burning  pang  forced  the  tears 
from  his  eyes,  and  conscious  that  he  was  in  danger  of  falling, 
he  clutched  a  piece  of  tapestry  and  clung  to  it. 

"  Don't  you  see,  sir,"  cried  Marguerite,  springing  to  him  and 
supporting  him  in  her  arms,  "  don't  you  see  that  you  still 
need  me  ?  " 

A  scarcely  perceptible  movement  passed  over  La  Mole's  lips. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  he  whispered,  "  like  the  air  I  breathe,  like  the 
light  I  see !  " 

At  this  moment  three  knocks  were  heard  at  Marguerite's 
door. 


THERE    ARE    KEYS    WHICH    OPEN   DOORS.       137 

"  Do  you  hear,  madame  ?  "  cried  Gillonne,  alarmed. 

"  Already  !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

«  Shall  I  open  ?  " 

"  Wait !  perhaps  it  is  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  Oh,  madame  !"  cried  La  Mole,  recalled  to  himself  by  these 
words,  which  the  queen  had  spoken  in  such  a  low  tone  that 
she  hoped  Gillonne  only  had  heard  them,  "  on  my  knees  I 
entreat  you,  let  me  depart.  Yes,  dead  or  alive  !  madame,  have 
pity  on  me  !  Oh  !  you  do  not  answer.  I  will  tell  you  all,  and 
then  you  will  drive  me  away,  I  hope." 

"  Be  silent,"  said  Marguerite,  who  found  an  indescribable 
charm  in  the  young  man's  reproaches  ;  "  be  silent." 

"  Madame,"  replied  La  Mole,  who  did  not  find  that  anger  he 
expected  in  the  voice  of  the  queen,  "  madame,  I  tell  you  again, 
everything  is  audible  in  this  closet.  Oh,  do  not  make  me  perish 
by  tortures  more  cruel  than  the  executioner  could  inflict "  — 

"  Silence  !  silence  ! "  said  Marguerite. 

"  Oh,  madame,  you  are  merciless  !  you  will  not  hear  me,  you 
will  not  understand  me.  Know,  then,  that  I  love  you  " 

"  Silence !  I  tell  you,"  interrupted  Marguerite,  placing  on 
his  mouth  her  warm,  perfumed  hand,  which  he  seized  between 
both  of  his  and  pressed  eagerly  to  his  lips. 

"  But  "  —  he  whispered. 

"Be  silent,  child — who  is  this  rebel  that  refuses  to  obey 
his  queen  ?  " 

Then  darting  out  of  the  closet,  she  shut  the  door  and  stood 
leaning  against  the  wall  pressing  her  trembling  hand  to  her 
heart,  as  if  to  control  it. 

"  Open,  Gillonne." 

Gillonne  left  the  room,  and  an  instant  after,  the  fine,  intel- 
lectual, but  rather  anxious  countenance  of  the  King  of  Na- 
varre appeared  behind  the  tapestry. 

"  You  have  sent  for  me,  madame  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire.     Your  majesty  received  my  letter  ?  " 

"  And  not  without  some  surprise,  I  confess,"  said  Henry, 
looking  round  with  distrust,  which,  however,  almost  instantly 
vanished  from  his  mind. 

"  And  not  without  some  apprehension,"  added  Marguerite. 

"  I  confess  it,  madame  !  But  still,  surrounded  as  I  am  by 
deadly  enemies,  by  friends  still  more  dangerous,  perhaps,  than 
my  open  foes,  I  recollected  that  one  evening  I  had  seen  a  noble 
generosity  shining  in  your  eyes  —  'twas  the  night  of  our 


138  MARGUERITE    DE     V ALOIS. 

marriage  ;  that  one  other  evening  I  had  seen  the  star  of  cour- 
age beaming  in  them  —  't  was  yesterday,  the  day  fixed  for  my 
death." 

"  Well,  sire  ?  "  said  Marguerite,  smiling,  while  Henry  seemed 
striving  to  read  her  heart. 

"  Well,  madame,"  returned  the  king,  "  thinking  of  these 
things,  I  said  to  myself,  as  I  read  your  letter  bidding  me  come  : 
1  Without  friends,  for  he  is  a  disarmed  prisoner,  the  King  of 
Navarre  has  but  one  means  of  dying  nobly,  of  dying  a  death 
that  will  be  recorded  in  history.  It  is  to  die  betrayed  by  his 
wife  ;  and  I  am  come  '  "  — 

"  Sire,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  you  will  change  your  tone  when 
you  learn  that  all  this  is  the  work  of  a  woman  who  loves  you 

—  and  whom  you  love." 

Henry  started  back  at  these  words,  and  his  keen  gray  eyes 
under  their  black  lashes  were  fixed  on  the  queen  with  curiosity. 

"  Oh,  reassure  yourself,  sire,"  said  the  queen,  smiling ;  "  I 
am  not  that  person." 

"  But,  madame,"  said  Henry,  "  you  sent  me  this  key,  and 
this  is  your  writing." 

"  It  is  my  writing,  I  confess  ;  the  letter  came  from  me,  but 
the  key  is  a  different  matter.  Let  it  satisfy  you  to  know  that 
it  has  passed  through  the  hands  of  four  women  before  it 
reached  you." 

"  Of  four  women  ?  "  exclaimed  Henry  in  astonishment. 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite ;  "  Queen  Catharine's,  Madame  de 
Sauve's,  Gillonne's,  and  mine." 

Henry  pondered  over  this  enigma. 

"  Now  let  us  talk  reasonably,  sire,"  said  Marguerite,  "  and 
above  all  let  us  speak  frankly.  Common  report  has  it  that 
your  majesty  has  consented  to  abjure.  Is  it  true  ?  " 

"  That  report  is  mistaken  ;  I  have  not  yet  consented." 

"  But  your  mind  is  made  up  ?  " 

"  That  is  to  say,  I  am  deliberating.  When  one  is  twenty 
and  almost  a  king,  venire,  saint  gris  !  there  are  many  things 
well  worth  a  mass." 

"  And  among  other  things  life,  for  instance  !  " 

Henry  could  not  repress  a  fleeting  smile. 

"  You  do  not  tell  me  your  whole  thought,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  I  have  reservations  for  my  allies,  madame ;  and  you  know 
we  are  but  allies  as  yet ;  if  indeed  you  were  both  my  ally 

—  and"  — 


THERE    ARE    KEYS    WHICH    OPEN    DOORS.       139 

"  And  your  wife,  sire  ?  " 

"  Faith  !  yes,  and  my  wife  "  — 

«  What  then  ?  " 

"  Why,  then,  it  might  be  different,  and  I  perhaps  might  re- 
solve to  remain  King  of  the  Huguenots,  as  they  call  me.  But 
as  it  is,  I  must  be  content  to  live." 

Marguerite  looked  at  Henry  in  such  a  peculiar  manner  that  it 
would  have  awakened  suspicion  in  a  less  acute  mind  than  his. 

"  And  are  you  quite  sure  of  succeeding  even  in  that  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  Why,  almost ;  but  you  know,  in  this  world  nothing  is 
certain." 

"It  is  true,"  replied  Marguerite,  "your  majesty  shows  such 
moderation  and  professes  such  disinterestedness,  that  after 
having  renounced  your  crown,  after  having  renounced  your 
religion,  you  will  probably  renounce  your  alliance  with  a 
daughter  of  France ;  at  least  this  is  hoped  for." 

These  words  bore  a  significance  which  sent  a  thrill  through 
Henry's  whole  frame  ;  but  instantaneously  repressing  the  emo- 
tion, he  said  : 

"  Deign  to  recollect,  madame,  that  at  this  moment  I  am.  not 
my  own  master  ;  I  shall  therefore  do  what  the  King  of  France 
orders  me.  If  I  were  consulted  the  least  in  the  world  on  this 
.  question,  affecting  as  it  does  my  throne,  my  honor,  and  my 
life,  rather  than  build  my  future  on  this  forced  marriage  of 
ours,  I  should  prefer  to  enter  a  monastery  or  turn  gamekeeper." 

This  calm  resignation,  this  renunciation  of  the  world, 
alarmed  Marguerite.  She  thought  perhaps  this  rupture  of  the 
marriage  had  been  agreed  upon  by  Charles  IX.,  Catharine,  and 
the  King  of  Navarre.  Why  should  she  not  be  taken  as  a  dupe 
or  a  victim  ?  Because  she  was  sister  of  the  one -and  daughter 
of  the  other  ?  Experience  had  taught  her  that  this  relation- 
ship gave  her  no  ground  on  which  to  build  her  security. 

So  ambition  was  gnawing  at  this  young  woman's,  or  rather 
this  young  queen's  heart,  and  she  was  too  far  above  vulgar 
frailties  to  be  drawn  into  any  selfish  meanness ;  in  the  case  of 
every  woman,  however  mediocre  she  may  be,  when  she  loves 
her  love  has  none  of  these  petty  trials,  for  true  love  is  also  an 
ambition. 

"  Your  majesty,"  said  Marguerite,  with  a  sort  of  mocking 
disdain,  "  has  no  confidence  in  the  star  that  shines  over  the 
head  of  every  king  !  " 


140  MARGUERITE    1)E     V A  LOTS. 

"  Ah,"  said  Henry,  "  I  vainly  look  for  mine  now,  I  cannot 
see  it ;  't  is  hidden  by  the  storm  which  now  threatens  me  !  " 

"  And  suppose  a  woman's  breath  were  to  dispel  this  tempest, 
and  make  the  star  reappear,  brilliant  as  ever  ?  " 

"  'T  were  difficult." 

"  Do  you  deny  the  existence  of  this  woman  ?  " 

"  No,  I  deny  her  power." 

"  You  mean  her  will  ?  " 

"  I  said  her  power,  and  I  repeat,  her  powec.  A  woman  is 
powerful  only  when  love  and  interest  are  combined  within  her 
in  equal  degrees ;  if  either  sentiment  predominates,  she  is,  like 
Achilles,  vulnerable ;  now  as  to  this  woman,  if  I  mistake  not, 
I  cannot  rely  on  her  love." 

Marguerite  made  no  reply. 

"  Listen,"  said  Henry ;  "  at  the  last  stroke  of  the  bell  of 
Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois  you  must  have  thought  of  regain- 
ing your  liberty,  sacrificed  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  my 
followers.  My  concern  was  to  save  my  life :  that  was  the 
most  essential  thing.  We  lose  Navarre,  indeed;  but  what  is 
that  compared  with  your  being  enabled  to  speak  aloud  in  your 
room,  which  you  dared  not  do  when  you  had  some  one  listen- 
ing to  you  in  yonder  closet  ?  " 

Deeply  absorbed  as  she  was  in  her  thoughts,  Marguerite 
could  not  refrain  from  smiling.  The  king  rose  and  prepared 
to  seek  his  own  apartment,  for  it  was  some  time  after  eleven, 
and  every  one  at  the  Louvre  was,  or  seemed  to  be,  asleep. 

Henry  took  three  steps  toward  the  door,  then  suddenly 
stopped  as  if  for  the  first  time  recollecting  the  motive  of  his 
visit  to  the  queen. 

"  By  the  way,  madame,"  said  he,  "  had  you  not  some- 
thing to  communicate  to  me?  or  did  you  desire  to  give  me  an 
opportunity  of  thanking  you  for  the  reprieve  which  your  brave 
presence  in  the  King's  armory  brought  me  ?  In  truth  it  was  just 
in  time,  madame  ;  I  cannot  deny  it,  you  appeared  like  a  god- 
dess of  antiquity,  in  the  nick  of  time  to  save  my  life." 

"  Unfortunate  man  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  in  a  muffled  voice, 
and  seizing  her  husband's  arm,  "do  you  not  see  that  nothing 
is  saved,  neither  your  liberty,  your  crown,  nor  your  life  ? 
Infatuated  madman !  Poor  madman !  Did  you,  then,  see 
nothing  in  my  letter  but  a  rendezvous  ?  Did  you  believe  that 
Marguerite,  indignant  at  your  coldness,  desired  reparation  ?  " 


THERE   ARE    KEYS    WHICH    OPEN    DOORS.       141 

"  I  confess,  madaine,''  said  Henry  in  astonishment,  "  I  con- 
fess "  — 

Marguerite  shrugged  her  shoulders  with  an  expression 
impossible  to  describe. 

At  this  instant  a  strange  sound  was  heard,  like  a  sharp 
insistent  scratching  at  the  secret  door. 

Marguerite  led  the  king  toward  the  little  door. 

"  Listen,"  said  she. 

"  The  queen  mother  is  leaving  her  room,"  said  a  trembling 
voice  outside,  which  Henry  instantly  recognized  as -Madame 
de  Sauve's. 

"  Where  is  she  going  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  She  is  coming  to  your  majesty." 

And  then  the  rustling  of  a  silk  gown,  growing  fainter, 
showed  that  Madame  de  Sauve  was  hastening  rapidly  away. 

"  Oho  ! "  exclaimed  Henry. 

"  I  was  sure  of  this,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  And  I,"  replied  Henry,  "  feared  it,  and  this  is  the  proof 
of  it." 

And  half  opening  his  black  velvet  doublet,  he  showed  the 
queen  that  he  had  beneath  it  a  shirt  of  mail,  and  a  long  Milan 
poniard,  which  instantly  glittered  in  his  hand  like  a  viper  in 
the  sun. 

"  As  if  you  needed  weapon  and  cuirass  here  !  "  cried  Mar- 
guerite. "  Quick,  quick,  sire !  conceal  that  dagger ;  't  is  the 
queen  mother,  indeed,  but  the  queen  mother  only." 

«  Yet  •'  — 

"  Silence  !  —  I  hear  her." 

And  putting  her  mouth  close  to  Henry's  ear,  she  whispered 
something  which  the  young  king  heard  with  attention  mingled 
with  astonishment.  Then  he  hid  himself  behind  the  curtains 
of  the  bed. 

Meantime,  with  the  quickness  of  a  panther,  Marguerite 
sprang  to  the  closet,  where  La  Mole  was  waiting  in  a  fever 
of  excitement,  opened  the  door,  found  the  young  man,  and 
pressing  his  hand  in  the  darkness  — "  Silence,"  said  she, 
approaching  her  lips  so  near  that  he  felt  her  warm  and  balmy 
breath ;  "  silence  ! " 

Then  returning  to  her  chamber,  she  tore  off  her  head-dress, 
cut  the  laces  of  her  dress  with  her  poniard,  and  sprang  into  bed. 

It  was  time  —  the  key  turned  in  the  lock.  Catharine  had  a 
key  for  every  door  in  the  Louvre. 


142  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Who  is  there  ?  "  cried  Marguerite,  as  Catharine  placed  on 
guard  at  the  door  the  four  gentlemen  by  whom  she  was 
attended. 

And,  as  if  frightened  by  this  sudden  intrusion  into  her 
chamber,  Marguerite  sprang  out  from  behind  the  curtains  of 
her  bed  in  a  white  dressing-gown,  and  then  recognizing 
Catharine,  came  to  kiss  her  hand  with  such  well-feigned  sur- 
prise that  the  wily  Florentine  herself  could  not  help  being 
deceived  by  it. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE    SECOND    MARRIAGE    NIGHT. 

THE  queen  mother  cast  a  marvellously  rapid  glance  around 
her.  The  velvet  slippers  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  Marguerite's 
clothes  scattered  over  the  chairs,  the  way  she  rubbed  her  eyes 
as  if  to  drive  away  her  sleepiness,  all  convinced  Catharine 
that  she  had  awakened  her  daughter. 

Then  she  smiled  as  a  woman  does  when  she  has  succeeded 
in  her  plans,  and  drawing  up  an  easy  chair,  she  said : 

"  Let  us  sit  down,  Marguerite,  and  talk." 

"  Madame,  I  am  listening." 

"It  is  time,"  said  Catharine,  slowly  shutting  her  eyes  in 
the  characteristic  way  of  people  who  weigh  each  word  or  who 
deeply  dissimulate,  "  it  is  time,  my  daughter,  that  you  should 
know  how  ardently  your  brother  and  myself  desire  to  see  you 
happy." 

This  exordium  for  one  who  knew  Catharine  was  alarming. 

"  What  can  she  be  about  to  say  ?  "  thought  Marguerite. 

"  To  be  sure,"  continued  La  Florentine,  "  in  giving  you  in 
marriage  we  fulfilled  one  of  those  acts  of  policy  frequently 
required  by  important  interests  of  those  who  govern  ;  but  I 
must  confess,  my  poor  child,  that  we  had  no  expectation  that 
the  indifference  manifested  by  the  King  of  Navarre  for  one  so 
young,  so  lovely,  and  so  fascinating  as  yourself  would  be  so 
obstinate." 

Marguerite  arose,  and  folding  her  robe  de  chambre  around 
her,  courtesied  with  ceremonious  respect  to  her  mother. 

"  I  have  heard  to-night  only,"  continued  Catharine,  "  other- 
wise I  should  have  paid  you  an  earlier  visit,  that  your  hus- 


THE    SECOND    MARRIAGE    NIGHT.  143 

band  is  far  from  showing  you  those  attentions  yon  have  a  right 
to  claim,  not  merely  as  a  beautiful  woman,  but  as  a  princess 
of  France." 

Marguerite  sighed,  and  Catharine,  encouraged  by  this  mute 
approval  proceeded. 

"  In  fact,  that  the  King  of  Navarre  is  openly  cohabiting  one 
of  my  maids  of  honor  who  is  scandalously  smitten  with  him, 
that  he  scorns  the  love  of  the  woman  graciously  given  to  him, 
is  an  insult  to  which  we  poor  powerful  ones  of  the  earth  cannot 
apply  a  remedy,  and  yet  the  meanest  gentleman  in  our  kingdom 
would  avenge  it  by  calling  out  his  son-in-law  or  having  his 
son  do  so." 

Marguerite  dropped  her  head. 

"  For  some  time,  my  daughter,"  Catharine  went  on  to  say, 
"  I  have  seen  by  your  reddened  eyes,  by  your  bitter  sallies 
against  La  Sauve,  that  in  spite  of  your  efforts  your  heart  must 
show  external  signs  of  its  bleeding  wound." 

Marguerite  trembled:  a  slight  movement  had  shaken  the 
curtains ;  but  fortunately  Catharine  did  not  notice  it. 

"  This  wound,"  said  she  with  affectionate  sweetness  re- 
doubled, "  this  wound,  my  daughter,  a  mother's  hand  must 
cure.  Those  who  with  the  intention  of  securing  your  happi- 
ness have  brought  about  your  marriage,  and  who  in  their 
anxiety  about  you  notice  that  every  night  Henry  of  Navarre 
goes  to  the  wrong  rooms  ;  those  who  cannot  allow  a  kinglet  like 
him  to  insult  a  woman  of  such  beauty,  of  such  high  rank,  and  so 
worthy,  by  scorning  your  person  and  neglecting  his  chances  of 
posterity ;  those  who  see  that  at  the  first  favorable  wind,  this 
wild  and  insolent  madcap  will  turn  against  our  family  and 
expel  you  from  his  house  —  I  say  have  not  they  the  right  to 
secure  your  interests  by  entirely  dividing  them  from  his,  so 
that  your  future  may  be  better  suited  to  yourself  and  your 
rank  ?  » 

"  And  yet,  madame,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  in  spite  of  these 
observations  so  replete  with  maternal  love,  and  filling  me  with 
joy  and  pride,  I  am  bold  enough  to  affirm  to  your  majesty  that 
the  King  of  Navarre  is  my  husband." 

Catharine  started  with  rage,  and  drawing  closer  to  Mar- 
guerite she  said  : 

"  He,  your  husband  ?  Is  it  sufficient  to  make  you  husband 
and  wife  that  the  Church  has  pronounced  its  blessing  npon 
you  ?  And  is  the  marriage  consecration  only  in  the  words  of 


144  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

the  priest  ?  He,  your  husband  ?  Ah,  my  daughter  !  if  you 
were  Madame  de  Sauve  you  might  give  me  this  reply.  But 
wholly  contrary  of  what  we  expected  of  him  since  you  granted 
Henry  of  Navarre  the  honor  of  calling  you  his  wife,  he  has 
given  all  your  rights  to  another  woman,  and  at  this  very  in- 
stant even,"  said  Catharine,  raising  her  voice,  —  "  this  key 
opens  the  door  of  Madame  de  Sauve's  apartment  —  come  with 
me  and  you  will  see  " 

"  Oh,  not  so  loud,  madame,  not  so  loud,  I  beseech  you  !  " 
said  Marguerite,  "  for  not  only  are  you  mistaken,  but " 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  will  awaken  my  husband  ! " 

As  she  said  these  words  Marguerite  arose  with  a  perfectly 
voluptuous  grace,  her  white  dress  fluttering  loosely  around  her, 
while  the  large  open  sleeves  displayed  her  bare  and  faultlessly 
modelled  arm  and  truly  royal  hand,  and  taking  a  rose-colored 
taper  she  held  it  near  the  bed,  and  drawing  back  the  curtain, 
and  smiling  significantly  at  her  mother,  pointed  to  the  haughty 
profile,  the  black  locks,  and  the  parted  lips  of  the  King  of 
Navarre,  who,  as  he  lay  upon  the  disordered  bed,  seemed 
buried  in  profound  repose. 

Pale,  with  haggard  eyes,  her  body  thrown  back  as  if  an  abyss 
had  opened  at  her  feet,  Catharine  uttered  not  a  cry,  but  a 
hoarse  bellow. 

"  You  see,  madame,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  were  misin- 
formed." 

Catharine  looked  first  at  Marguerite,  then  at  Henry.  In  her 
active  mind  she  combined  Marguerite's  smile  with  the  picture 
of  that  pale  and  dewy  brow,  those  eyes  circled  by  dark -colored 
rings,  and  she  bit  her  thin  lips  in  silent  fury. 

Marguerite  allowed  her  mother  for  a  moment  to  contemplate 
this  picture,  which  affected  her  like  the  head  of  Medusa.  Then 
she  dropped  the  curtain  and  stepping  on  her  tip-toes  she  came 
back  to  Catharine  and  sat  down : 

"  You  were  saying,  madame  ?" 

The  Florentine  for  several  seconds  tried  to  fathom  the  young 
woman's  naivete ;  but  as  if  her  keen  glance  had  become  blunted 
on  Marguerite's  calmness,  she  exclaimed,  "Nothing,"  and 
hastily  left  the  room. 

As  soon  as  the  sound  of  her  departing  footsteps  had  died 
away  down  the  long  corridor,  the  bed-curtains  opened  a  second 
time,  and  Henry,  with  sparkling  eyes,  trembling  hand,  and 


THE    SECOND    MARRIAGE    NIGHT.  145 

panting  breath,  came  out  and  knelt  at  Marguerite's  feet ;  he  was 
dressed  only  in  his  short-clothes  and  his  coat  of  mail,  so  that 
Marguerite,  seeing  him  in  such  an  odd  rig,  could  not  help 
laughing  even  while  she  was  warmly  shaking  hands  with  him. 

"  Ah,  madam e  !  ah,  Marguerite  !  "  he  cried,  "  how  shall  I 
ever  repay  you  ?  " 

And  he  covered  her  hand  with  kisses  which  gradually 
strayed  higher  up  along  her  arm. 

"  Sire,"  said  she,  gently  retreating,  "  can  you  forget  that  a 
poor  woman  to  whom  you  owe  your  life  is  mourning  and 
suffering  on  your  account  ?  Madame  de  Sauve,"  added  she,  in 
a  lower  tone,  "  has  forgotten  her  jealousy  in  sending  you  to 
me ;  and  to  that  sacrifice  she  may  probably  have  to  add  her 
life,  for  you  know  better  than  any  one  how  terrible  is  my 
mother's  anger ! " 

Henry  shuddered  ;  and,  rising,  started  to  leave  the  room. 

"  Upon  second  thoughts,"  said  Marguerite,  with  admirable 
coquetry,  "  I  have  thought  it  all  over  and  I  see  no  cause  for 
alarm.  The  key  was  given  to  you  without  any  directions,  and 
it  will  be  supposed  that  you  granted  me  the  preference  for 
to-night." 

"  And  so  I  do,  Marguerite  !     Consent  but  to  forget "  — 

"  Not  so  loud,  sire,  not  so  loud  !  "  replied  the  queen,  em- 
ploying the  same  words  she  had  a  few  minutes  before  used  to 
her  mother  ;  "  any  one  in  the  adjoining  closet  can  hear  you. 
And  as  I  am  not  yet  quite  free,  I  will  ask  you  to  speak  in  a 
lower  tone." 

"  Oho  !  "  said  Henry,  half  smiling,  half  gloomily,  "  that 's 
true  !  I  was  forgetting  that  I  am  probably  not  the  one  destined 
to  play  the  end  of  this  interesting  scene  !  This  closet "  — 

"  Let  me  beg  of  your  majesty  to  enter  there,"  said  Marguer- 
ite ;  "  for  I  am  desirous  of  having  the  honor  of  presenting  to 
you  a  worthy  gentleman,  wounded  during  the  massacre  while 
making  his  way  to  the  Louvre  to  apprise  your  majesty  of  the 
danger  with  which  you  were  threatened." 

The  queen  went  toward  the  door,  and  Henry  followed  her. 
She  opened  it,  and  the  king  was  thunderstruck  at  beholding 
a  man  in  this  cabinet,  fated  to  reveal  such  continued  surprises. 

But  La  Mole  was  still  more  surprised  at  thus  unexpectedly 
finding  himself  in  the  presence  of  Henry  of  Navarre.  The 
result  was  that  the  king  cast  an  ironical  glance  on  Marguerite, 
who  bore  it  without  flinching. 


146  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Sire,"  said  she,  "  I  am  in  dread  lest  this  gentleman  may 
be  murdered  even  here,  in  my  very  chamber ;  he  is  devoted  to 
your  majesty's  service,  and  for  that  reason  I  commend  him  to 
your  royal  protection." 

"  Sire,"  continued  the  young  man,  "  I  am  the  Comte  Lerac 
de  la  Mole,  whom  your  majesty  was  expecting ;  I  was  recom- 
mended to  you  by  that  poor  Monsieur  de  Teligny,  who  was 
killed  by  my  side." 

"  Aha !  "  replied  Henry  ;  "  you  are  right,  sir.  The  queen 
gave  me  his  letter  ;  but  have  you  not  also  a  letter  from  the 
governor  of  Languedoc  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire,  and  I  was  recommended  to  deliver  it  to  your 
majesty  as  soon  as  I  arrived." 

"  Why  did  you  not  do  so  ?  " 

"  Sire,  I  hastened  to  the  Louvre  last  evening,  but  your 
majesty  was  too  much  occupied  to  give  me  audience." 

"  True  !  "  answered  the  king ;  "  but  I  should  think  you 
might  have  sent  the  letter  to  me  ?  " 

"I  had  orders  from  Monsieur  d'Auriac  to  give  it  to  no  one 
else  but  your  majesty,  since  it  contained,  he  said,  information 
so  important  that  he  feared  to  entrust  it  to  any  ordinary 
messenger." 

"The  contents  are,  indeed,  of  a  serious  nature,"  said  the 
king,  when  he  had  received  and  read  the  letter  ;  "  advising  my 
instant  withdrawal  from  the  court  of  France,  and  retirement 
to  Beam.  M.  d'Auriac,  although  a  Catholic,  was  always  a 
stanch  friend  of  mine ;  and  it  is  possible  that,  acting  as 
governor  of  a  province,  he  got  scent  of  what  was  in  the  wind 
here.  Venire  saint  gris  !  monsieur !  why  was  not  this  letter 
given  to  me  three  days  ago,  instead  of  now  ?  " 

"  Because,  as  I  before  assured  your  majesty,  that  using  all 
the  speed  and  diligence  in  my  poAver,  it  was  wholly  impossible 
to  arrive  before  yesterday." 

"  That  is  very  unfortunate,  very  unfortunate,  "  murmured 
the  king ;  "  we  should  then  have  been  in  security,  either  at 
Rochelle  or  in  some  broad  plain  surrounded  by  two  or  three 
thousand  trusty  horsemen." 

"  Sire,  what  is  done  is  done,"  said  Marguerite,  in  a  low  voice, 
"  and  instead  of  wasting  your  time  complaining  over  the  past 
you  must  do  the  best  possible  with  the  future." 

"  If  you  were  in  my  place,  madame,"  replied  Henry,  with 
his  questioning  look,  "  you  would  still  have  hope,  would  you  ?  " 


THE    SECOND    MARRIAGE    NIGHT.  147 

"  Certainly  I  should  ;  I  should  consider  myself  as  playing  a 
game  of  three  points,  of  which  I  had  lost  only  the  first." 

"  Ah,  madame,"  whispered  Henry,  "  if  I  dared  but  hope  that 
you  would  go  partners  with  me  in  the  game  " — 

"If  I  had  intended  to  side  with  your  adversaries,"  replied 
Marguerite,  "  I  should  scarcely  have  delayed  so  long." 

"  True  ! "  replied  Henry,  "  and  I  am  ungrateful ;  and  as  you 
say,  the  past  may  still  be  repaired." 

"  Alas  !  sire,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  wish  your  majesty  every 
kind  of  good  fortune  ;  but  now  the  admiral  is  no  more." 

Over  Henry's  face  passed  that  sly,  peasant-like  smile,  which 
was  not  understood  at  court  until  after  he  became  King  of 
France. 

"  But,  madame,"  said  the  king,  attentively  observing  La 
Mole,  "  this  gentleman  cannot  remain  here  without  causing 
you  considerable  inconvenience,  and  being  himself  subject  to 
very  unpleasant  surprises.  What  will  you  do  with  him  ?  " 

"  Could  we  not  remove  him  from  the  Louvre  ? "  asked 
Marguerite,  "  for  I  entirely  agree  with  you  !  " 

"  It  will  be  difficult." 

"  Then  could  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  find  accommodation 
in  your  majesty's  apartments  ?  " 

"  Alas,  madame !  you  speak  as  if  I  were  still  King  of  the 
Huguenots,  and  had  subjects  to  command.  You  are  aware 
that  I  am  half  converted  to  the  Catholic  faith  and  have  no 
people  at  all." 

Any  one  but  Marguerite  would  have  promptly  answered : 
"  He  is  a  Catholic." 

But  the  queen  wished  Henry  himself  to  ask  her  to  do  the 
very  thing  she  was  desirous  of  effecting ;  while  La  Mole,  per- 
ceiving his  protectress's  caution  and  not  knowing  where  to  set 
foot  on  the  slippery  ground  of  such  a  dangerous  court  as  that 
of  France,  remained  perfectly  silent. 

"  But  what  is  this  the  governor  says  in  his  letter  ?  "  said 
Henry,  again  casting  his  eyes  over  the  missive  he  held  in  his 
hand.  "  He  states  that  your  mother  was  a  Catholic,  and  from 
that  circumstance  originates  the  interest  he  felt  in  you." 

"And  what  were  you  telling  me,  Monsieur  le  Cornte,"  said 
Marguerite,  "  respecting  a  vow  you  had  formed  to  change  your 
religion  ?  I  confess  my  recollection  on  the  subject  is  some- 
what confused.  Have  the  goodness  to  assist  me,  M.  de  la 


148  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

Mole.  Did  not  your  conversation  refer  to  something  of  the 
nature  the  king  appears  to  desire  ?  " 

"  Alas !  niadame,  what  I  did  say  was  so  coldly  received  by 
your  majesty  that  I  did  not  dare  "  — 

"  Simply  because  it  in  no  way  concerned  me,"  answered 
Marguerite.  "  But  explain  yourself  to  the  king  —  explain !  " 

"  Well,  what  was  the  vow  ?  "  asked  the  king. 

"  Sire,"  said  La  Mole,  "  when  pursued  by  assassins,  myself 
unarmed,  and  almost  expiring  from  my  two  wounds,  I  fancied 
I  beheld  my  mother's  spirit  holding  a  cross  in  her  hands  and 
guiding  me  to  the  Louvre.  Then  I  vowed  that  if  my  life  were 
preserved  I  would  adopt  the  religion  of  iny  mother,  who  had 
been  permitted  to  leave  her  grave  to  direct  me  to  a  place  of 
safety  during  that  horrible  night.  Heaven  conducted  me 
here,  sire.  I  find  myself  here  under  the  protection  of  a 
princess  of  France  and  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ;  my  life  was 
miraculously  saved,  therefore  I  must  fulfil  my  vow.  I  am 
ready  to  become  a  Catholic." 

Henry  frowned.  Sceptic  that  he  was,  he  could  well  under- 
stand a  change  of  religion  from  motives  of  interest,  but  he 
distrusted  abjuration  through  faith. 

"  The  king  does  not  want  to  take  charge  of  my  protege,'' 
thought  Marguerite. 

La  Mole  still  remained  mute  and  awkward  between  the  two 
opposing  wills.  He  felt,  without  being  able  to  define  why,  that 
he  was  in  a  ridiculous  position.  Marguerite's  womanly  tact 
came  to  his  relief. 

"  Sire,"  said  she,  "  we  forget  that  the  poor  wounded  gentle- 
man has  need  of  repose.  I  myself  am  half  asleep.  Ah,  see  !  " 

La  Mole  did  indeed  turn  pale  ;  but  it  was  at  Marguerite's 
last  words,  which  he  had  interpreted  according  to  his  own 
ideas. 

"  Well,  madame,"  answered  Henry,  "  nothing  can  be  simpler. 
Can  we  not  leave  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  to  take  his  repose." 

The  young  man  fixed  a  supplicating  look  on  Marguerite,  and, 
in  spite  of  the  presence  of  the  two  majesties,  sunk  upon  a  chair, 
overcome  with  fatigue  and  pain. 

Marguerite  understood  all  the  love  in  his  look,  all  the  de- 
spair in  his  weakness. 

"  Sire,"  said  she,  "  your  majesty  is  bound  to  confer  on  this 
young  man,  who  imperilled  his  life  for  his  king,  since  he  re- 
ceived his  wounds  while  coming  hither  to  inform  you  of  the 


THE    SECOND    MARRIAGE    NIGHT.  149 

admiral's  death  and  Teligny's, — your  majesty  is  bound,  I  re- 
peat, to  confer  on  him  an  honor  for  which  he  will  be  grateful 
all  his  life  long." 

"  What  is  it,  inadame  ?  "  asked  Henry.  "  Command  me,  I 
am  ready." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  must  sleep  to-night  at  your  majesty's 
feet,  while  you,  sire,  can  sleep  on  this  couch.  With  the  per- 
mission of  my  august  spouse,"  added  Marguerite,  smiling,  "  I 
will  summon  Gillonue  and  return  to  bed,  for  I  assure  you  I 
am  not  the  least  wearied  of  us  three." 

Henry  had  shrewd  sense  and  a  quick  perception  of  things ; 
friends  and  enemies  subsequently  found  fault  with  him  for 
possessing  too  much  of  both.  He  fully  admitted  that  she  who 
thus  banished  him  from  the  nuptial  bed  was  well  justified  in 
so  doing  by  the  indifference  he  had  himself  manifested  toward 
her ;  and  then,  too,  she  had  just  repaid  this  indifference  by 
saving  his  life ;  he  therefore  allowed  no  self-love  to  dictate  his 
answer. 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  "  if  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  were  able  to 
come  to  my  quarters  I  would  give  him  iny  own  bed." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  but  your  quarters  just  at  the 
present  time  would  not  be  safe  for  either  of  you,  and  prudence 
dictates  that  your  majesty  should  remain  here  until  morning." 

Then  without  awaiting  the  king's  reply  she  summoned  Gil- 
lonne,  and  bade  her  prepare  the  necessary  cushions  for  the 
king,  and  to  arrange  a  bed  at  the  king's  feet  for  La  Mole,  who 
appeared  so  happy  and  contented  with  the  honor  that  one 
would  have  sworn  he  no  longer  felt  his  wounds. 

Then  Marguerite,  courtesing  low  to  the  king,  passed  into 
her  chamber,  the  door  of  which  was  well  furnished  with  bolts, 
and  threw  herself  on  the  bed. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,"  said  Marguerite  to  herself,  "  to- 
morrow Monsieur  de  la  Mole  must  have  a  protector  at  the 
Louvre ;  and  he  who,  to-night,  sees  and  hears  nothing,  may 
change  his  mind  to-morrow." 

Then  she  called  Gillonne,  who  was  waiting  to  receive  her 
last  orders. 

Gillonne  came  to  her. 

"  Gillonne,"  said  she  in  a  whisper,  "  you  must  contrive  to 
bring  my  brother  the  Due  d'Alenqon  here  to-morrow  morning 
before  eight  o'clock." 

It  was  just  striking  two  at  the  Louvre. 


150  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

La  Mole  for  a  few  moments  talked  on  political  subjects  with 
the  king,  who  gradually  grew  drowsy  and  was  soon  snoring. 

La  Mole  might  have  slept  as  well  as  the  king,  but  Mar- 
guerite was  not  asleep ;  she  kept  turning  from  side  to  side  in 
her  bed,  and  the  noise  she  made  disturbed  the  young  man's 
ideas  and  sleep. 

"  He  is  very  young,"  murmured  Marguerite  in  her  wakeful 
mood,  "  he  is  very  timid ;  perhaps  —  but  we  must  see  —  per- 
haps it  will  be  ridiculous.  Yet  he  has  handsome  eyes  —  and 
a  good  figure,  and  he  is  very  charming ;  but  if  he  should  not 
turn  out  to  be  brave  !  —  He  ran  away  !  —  He  is  renouncing  his 
faith  !  It  is  too  bad  —  the  dream  began  well.  However,  let 
things  take  their  course  and  entrust  them  to  that  madcap 
Henriette's  triple  god." 

And  toward  daybreak  Marguerite  fell  asleep,  murmuring  : 

"Eros,  Cupido,  Amor." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

WHAT    WOMAT*    WILLS,    GOD    WILLS. 

MARGUERITE  was  not  mistaken :  the  wratjh  distilled  in  the 
depths  of  Catharine's  heart  at  sight  of  this  comedy,  the  intrigue 
of  which  she  followed  without  being  in  any  way  able  to  change 
its  denouement,  required  a  victim.  So  instead  of  going  directly 
to  her  own  room  the  queen  mother  proceeded  to  that  of  her 
lady  in  waiting. 

Madame  de  Sauve  was  in  expectation  of  two  visits  —  one 
she  hoped  to  receive  from  Henry,  and  the  other  she  feared 
was  in  store  for  her  from  the  queen  mother.  As  she  lay  in  her 
bed  only  partially  undressed,  while  Dariole  kept  watch  in  the 
antechamber,  she  heard  a  key  turn  in  the  lock,  and  then 
slowly  approaching  footsteps  which  would  have  seemed  heavy 
if  they  had  not  been  deadened  by  thick  rugs.  She  did  not 
recognize  Henry's  light,  eager  step  ;  she  suspected  that  Dariole 
was  prevented  from  coming  to  warn  her,  and  so  leaning  on  her 
elbow  she  waited  with  eye  and  ear  alert.  The  portiere  was 
lifted  and  the  trembling  young  woman  saw  Catharine  de 
Medicis  appear. 

Catharine  seemed  calm ;  but  Madame  de  Sauve,  accus- 
tomed for  two  years  to  study  her,  well  knew  what  dark  designs, 


WHAT    WOMAN     WILLS,    GOD    WILLS.  151 

and  possibly  cruel  vengeance,  might  be  concealed  beneath  that 
apparent  calm. 

At  sight  of  Catharine,  Madame  de  Sauve  was  about  to  spring 
from  her  bed,  but  Catharine  signed  to  her  to  stay  where  she 
was  ;  and  poor  Charlotte  was  fixed  to  the  spot,  inwardly  en- 
deavoring to  collect  all  the  forces  of  her  soul  to  endure  the 
storm  which  was  silently  gathering. 

"  Did  you  convey  the  key  to  the  King  of  Navarre  ? "  in- 
quired Catharine,  without  the  tone  of  her  voice  betraying  any 
change ;  and  yet  as  she  spoke  her  lips  grew  paler  and  paler. 

"  I  did,  madame,"  answered  Charlotte,  in  a  voice  which  she 
vainly  tried  to  make  as  firm  and  assured  as  Catherine's  was. 

"  And  have  you  seen  him  ?  '' 

"  Who  ?  "  asked  Madame  de  Sauve. 

"  The  King  of  Navarre." 

"  No,  madame ;  but  I  am  expecting  him,  and  when  I  heard 
the  key  turn  in  the  lock,  I  firmly  believed  it  was  he." 

At  this  answer,  which  indicated  either  perfect  confidence  or 
deep  dissimulation  on  Madame  de  Sauve's  part,  Catharine  could 
not  repress  a  slight  shiver.  She  clinched  her  short  plump 
hand. 

"  And  yet  you  knew  perfectly  well,"  said  she  with  her  evil 
smile,  "  you  knew  perfectly  well,  Carlotta,  that  the  King  of 
Navarre  would  not  come  to-night." 

"  I,  madame  ?  I  knew  that  ?  "  exclaimed  Charlotte,  with  a 
tone  of  surprise  perfectly  well  assumed. 

"  Yes,  you  knew  it ! " 

"  If  he  does  not  come,  he  must  be  dead  !  "  replied  the  young 
woman,  shuddering  at  the  mere  supposition. 

What  gave  Charlotte  the  courage  to  lie  so  was  the  certainty 
that  she  would  suffer  from  a  terrible  vengeance  if  her  little 
treason  should  be  discovered. 

"  But  did  you  not  write  to  the  king,  Carlotta  mia  ?  "  inquired 
Catharine,  with  the  same  cruel  and  silent  laugh. 

"No,  madame,"  answered  Charlotte,  with  well-assumed 
naivete,  "  I  cannot  recollect  receiving  your  majesty's  com- 
mands to  do  so." 

A  short  silence  followed,  during  which  Catharine  continued 
to  gaze  on  Madame  de  Sauve  as  the  serpent  looks  at  the  bird 
it  wishes  to  fascinate. 

"  You  think  you  are  pretty,"  said  Catharine,  "you  think 
you  are  clever,  do  you  not  ?  " 


152  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  No,  madame,"  answered  Charlotte  ;  "  I  only  know  that 
sometimes  your  majesty  has  been  graciously  pleased  to  com- 
mend both  my  personal  attractions  and  address." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Catharine,  growing  eager  and  animated, 
"  you  were  mistaken  if  you  think  so,  and  I  lied  when  I  told 
you  so  ;  you  are  a  simpleton  and  hideous  compared  to  my 
daughter  Margot." 

"  Oh,  madame,"  replied  Charlotte,  "  that  is  a  fact  I  will  not 
even  try  to  deny  —  least  of  all  in  your  presence." 

"  So,  then,  the  King  of  Navarre  prefers  my  daughter  to 
you ;  a  circumstance,  I  presume,  not  to  your  wishes,  and  cer- 
tainly not  what  we  agreed  should  be  the  case." 

"  Alas,  madame,"  cried  Charlotte,  bursting  into  a  torrent 
of  tears  which  now  flowed  from  no  feigned  source,  "  if  it  be 
so,  I  can  but  say  I  am  very  unfortunate ! " 

"  It  is  so,"  said  Catharine,  darting  the  two-fold  keenness  of 
her  eyes  like  a  double  poniard  into  Madame  de  Sauve's  heart. 

"  But  who  can  make  you  believe  that  ?  "  asked  Charlotte. 

"  Go  down  to  the  Queen  of  Navarre's  pazza,  and  you  will 
find  your  lover  there  !  " 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  Madame  de  Sauve. 

Catharine  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  Are  you  jealous,  pray  ?  "  asked  the  queen  mother. 

"  I  ?  "  exclaimed  Madame  de  Sauve,  recalling  her  fast-fail- 
ing strength. 

"  Yes,  you  !   I  should  like  to  see  a  Frenchwoman's  jealousy." 

"But,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  "how  should  your  majesty 
expect  me  to  be  jealous  except  out  of  vanity  ?  I  love  the 
King  of  Navarre  only  as  far  as  your  majesty's  service  re- 
quires it." 

Catharine  gazed  at  her  for  a  moment  with  dreamy  eyes. 

"  What  you  tell  me  may  on  the  whole  be  true,"  she  mur- 
mured. 

"  Your  majesty  reads  my  heart." 

"  And  your  heart  is  wholly  devoted  to  me  ?  " 

"Command  me,  madame,  and  you  shall  judge  for  yourself." 

"Well,  then,  Carlotta,  since  you  are  ready  to  sacrifice  your- 
self in  my  service,  you  must  still  continue  for  my  sake  to  be 
in  love  with  the  King  of  Navarre  and,  above  all,  to  be  very 
jealous,  —  jealous  as  an  Italian  woman." 

"But,  madame,"  asked  Charlotte,  "how  does  an  Italian 
woman  show  her  jealousy  ?  " 


WHAT    WOMAN    WILLS,    GOD    WILLS.  153 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  replied  Catharine,  and  after  nodding  her 
head  two  or  three  times  she  left  the  room  as  deliberately  and 
noiselessly  as  she  had  come  in. 

Charlotte,  confused  by  the  keen  look  of  those  eyes  dilated 
like  a  cat's  or  a  panther's  without  thereby  losing  anything  of 
their  inscrutability,  allowed  her  to  go  without  uttering  a  single 
word,  without  even  letting  her  breathing  be  heard,  and  she  did 
not  even  take  a  respiration  until  she  heard  the  door  close 
behind  her  and  Dariole  came  to  say  that  the  terrible  appari- 
tion had  departed. 

"  Dariole,''  said  she,  "  draw  up  an  armchair  close  to  my 
bed  and  spend  the  night  in  it.  I  beg  you  to  do  so,  for  I  should 
not  dare  to  stay  alone." 

Dariole  obeyed ;  but  in  spite  of  the  company  of  her  faithful 
attendant,  who  stayed  near  her,  in  spite  of  the  light  from  the 
lamp  which  she  commanded  to  be  left  burning  for  the  sake  of 
greater  tranquillity,  Madame  de  Sauve  also  did  not  fall  asleep 
till  daylight,  so  insistently  rang  in  her  ears  the  metallic 
accent  of  Catharine's  voice. 

Though  Marguerite  had  not  fallen  asleep  till  daybreak  she 
awoke  at  the  first  blast  of  the  trumpets,  at  the  first  barking  of 
the  dogs.  She  instantly  arose  and  began  to  put  on  a  costume 
so  negligent  that  it  could  not  fail  to  attract  attention.  Then 
she  summoned  her  women,  and  had  the  gentlemen  ordinarily 
in  attendance  on  the  King  of  Xavarre  shown  into  her  ante- 
chamber, and  finally  opening  the  door  which  shut  Henry  and 
De  la  Mole  into  the  same  room,  she  gave  the  count  an  affec- 
tionate glance  and  addressing  her  husband  she  said : 

"  Come,  sire,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  have  made  madame  my 
mother  believe  in  what  is  not ;  it  still  remains  for  you  to  con- 
vince your  whole  court  that  a  perfect  understanding  exists 
between  us.  But  make  yourself  quite  easy,"  added  she, 
laughing,  "  and  remember  my  words,  rendered  almost  solemn 
by  the  circumstances.  To-day  will  be  the  last  time  that  I 
shall  put  your  majesty  to  such  a  cruel  test." 

The  King  of  Navarre  smiled  and  ordered  his  gentlemen  to 
be  admitted. 

Just  as  they  were  bowing  to  him  he  pretended  suddenly  to 
recollect  having  left  his  mantle  on  the  queen's  bed  and  begged 
their  excuse  for  receiving  them  in  such  a  way ;  then,  taking 
his  mantle  from  the  hands  of  Marguerite,  who  stood  blushing 


154  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

by  his  side,  he  clasped  it  on  his  shoulder.  Next,  turning  to 
his  gentlemen,  he  inquired  what  news  there  was  in  the  city 
and  at  court. 

Marguerite  was  engaged  in  watching  out  of  the  corner  of 
her  eye  the  imperceptible  signs  of  astonishment  betrayed  by 
the  gentlemen  at  detecting  this  newly  revealed  intimacy 
between  the  king  and  queen  of  Navarre,  when  an  usher  entered, 
followed  by  three  or  four  gentlemen,  and  announced  the  Due 
d'AleiiQon. 

To  bring  him  there  Gillonne  had  only  to  tell  him  that  the 
king  had  spent  the  night  in  the  queen's  room. 

Francois  rushed  in  so  precipitately  that  he  almost  upset 
those  who  preceded  him.  His  first  glance  was  for  Henry  ;  his 
1  next  was  for  Marguerite. 

Henry  replied  with  a  courteous  bow ;  Marguerite  composed 
her  features  so  that  they  expressed  the  utmost  serenity. 

Then  the  duke  cast  a  vague  but  scrutinizing  look  around 
the  whole  room :  he  saw  the  two  pillows  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  bed,  the  derangement  of  its  tapestried  coverings,  and  the 
king's  hat  thrown  on  a  chair. 

He  turned  pale,  but  quickly  recovering  himself,  he  said  : 

"  Does  my  royal  brother  Henry  join  this  morning  with  the 
King  in  his  game  of  tennis  ?  " 

"  Does  his  Majesty  do  me  the  honor  to  select  me  as  his 
partner  ?  "  inquired  Henry,  "  or  is  it  only  a  little  attention  on 
your  part,  my  brother-in-law  ?  " 

"His  Majesty  has  not  so  said,  certainly,"  replied  the  duke, 
somewhat  embarrassed ;  "  but  don't  you  generally  play  with 
him  ?  " 

Henry  smiled,  for  so  many  and  such  serious  events  had 
occurred  since  he  last  played  with  the  King  that  he  would  not 
have  been  astonished  to  learn  that  the  King  had  changed  his 
habitual  companions  at  the  game. 

"  I  shall  go  there,"  said  Henry,  with  a  smile. 

"  Come,"  cried  the  duke. 

"  Are  you  going  away  ?  "  inquired  Marguerite. 

"  Yes,  sister  !  " 

"  Are  you  in  great  haste  ?  " 

"  In  great  haste." 

"  Might  I  venture  to  detain  you  for  a  few  minutes  ?  " 

Such  a  request  was  so  unusual  coming  from  Marguerite  that 
her  brother  looked  at  her  while  her  color  came  and  went. 


WHAT    WOMAN    WILLS,    GOD    WILLS.  155 

"  What  can  she  be  going  to  say  to  him  ?  "  thought  Henry, 
no  less  surprised  than  the  duke  himself. 

Marguerite,  as  if  she  had  guessed  her  husband's  thought, 
turned  toward  him. 

"  Sire,"  said  she,  with  a  charming  smile,  "  you  may  go  back 
to  his  majesty  if  it  seem  good  to  you,  for  the  secret  which  I 
am  going  to  reveal  to  my  brother  is  already  known  to  you, 
for  the  reason  that  the  request  which  I  made  you  yesterday 
in  regard  to  this  secret  was  as  good  as  refused  by  your 
majesty.  I  should  not  wish,  therefore,"  continued  Marguerite, 
"  to  weary  your  majesty  a  second  time  by  expressing  in  your 
presence  a  wish  which  seemed  to  be  disagreeable." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Francois,  looking  at  both  of 
them  with  astonishment. 

"  Aha  !  "  exclaimed  Henry,  flushing,  with  indignation,  "  I 
know  what  you  mean,  madame.  In  truth,  I  regret  that  I  am 
not  free.  But  if  I  cannot  offer  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  such 
hospitality  as  would  be  equivalent  to  an  assurance,  I  cannot  do 
less  than  to  recommend  to  my  brother  D'Alenqon  the  person 
in  whom  you  feel  such  a  lively  interest.  Perhaps,"  he  added, 
in  order  to  give  still  more  emphasis  to  the  words  italicized, 
"  perhaps  my  brother  will  discover  some  way  whereby  you 
will  be  permitted  to  keep  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  here  near  you 
—  that  would  be  better  than  anything  else,  would  it  not, 
madame  ?  " 

"  Come,  come ! "  said  Margiierite  to  herself,  "  the  two  to- 
gether will  do  what  neither  of  them  would  do  individually." 

And  she  opened  the  closet  door  and  invited  the  wounded 
young  man  to  come  forth,  saying  to  Henry  as  she  did  so  : 

"  Your  majesty  must  now  explain  to  my  brother  why  we  are 
interested  in  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

Henry,  caught  in  the  snare,  briefly  related  to  M.  d'Alenqon, 
half  a  Protestant  for  the  sake  of  opposition,  as  he  himself 
was  partly  a  Catholic  from  prudence,  the  arrival  of  Monsieur 
de  la  Mole  at  Paris,  and  how  the  young  man  had  been 
severely  wounded  while  bringing  to  him  a  letter  from  M. 
d'Auriac. 

When  the  duke  turned  round,  La  Mole  had  come  out  from 
the  closet  and  was  standing  before  him. 

Frangois,  at  the  sight  of  him,  so  handsome,  so  pale,  and 
consequently  doubly  captivating  by  reason  of  his  good  looks 
and  his  pallor,  felt  a  new  sense  of  distrust  spring  up  in  the 


156  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

depths  of  his  soul.  Marguerite  held  him  both  through  jealousy 
and  through  pride. 

"  Brother,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  will  engage  that  this  young 
gentleman  will  be  useful  to  whoever  may  employ  him. 
Should  you  accept  his  services,  he  will  obtain  a  powerful  pro- 
tector, and  you,  a  devoted  servitor.  In  such  times  as  the  present, 
brother,"  continued  she,  "  we  cannot  be  too  well  surrounded 
by  devoted  friends  ;  more  especially,"  added  she,  lowering  her 
voice  so  as  to  be  heard  by  no  one  but  the  duke,  "  when  one  is 
ambitious,  and  has  the  misfortune  to  be  only  third  in  the  suc- 
cession to  the  throne." 

Then  she  put  her  finger  on  her  lip,  to  intimate  to  Franqois 
that  in  spite  of  the  initiation  she  still  kept  secret  an  important 
part  of  her  idea. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  added,  "  you  may  differ  from  Henry,  in  con- 
sidering it  not  befitting  that  this  young  gentleman  should  re- 
main so  immediately  in  the  vicinity  of  my  apartments." 

"  Sister,"  replied  Frauqois,  eagerly,  "  if  it  meet  your  wishes, 
Monsieur  de  la  Mole  shall,  in  half  an  hour,  be  installed  in  my 
quarters,  where,  I  think,  he  can  have  no  cause  to  fear  any 
danger.  Let  him  love  me  and  I  will  love  him." 

Francois  was  untruthful,  for  already  in  the  very  depths  of 
his  heart  he  detested  La  Mole. 

"  Well,  well !  So  then  I  was  not  mistaken,"  said  Marguer- 
ite to  herself,  seeing  the  King  of  Navarre's  scowling  face. 
"  Ah,  I  see  that  to  lead  you  two,  one  must  lead  the  other." 

Then  finishing  her  thought : 

"  There  !  <  then  you  are  doing  well,  Marguerite,'  Henriette 
would  say." 

In  fact,  half  an  hour  later  La  Mole,  having  been  solemnly 
catechised  by  Marguerite,  kissed  the  hem  of  her  gown  and 
with  an  agility  remarkable  in  a  wounded  man  was  mounting 
the  stairs  that  led  to  the  Due  d'Alemjon's  quarters. 

Two  or  three  days  passed,  during  which  the  excellent  under- 
standing between  Henry  and  his  wife  seemed  to  grow  more 
and  more  firmly  established. 

Henry  had  obtained  permission  not  to  make  a  public  re- 
nunciation of  his  religion ;  but  he  had  formally  recanted  in  the 
presence  of  the  king's  confessor,  and  every  morning  he  listened 
to  the  mass  performed  at  the  Louvre.  At  night  he  made  a 
show  of  going  to  his  wife's  rooms,  entered  by  the  principal 


WHAT    WOMAN    WILLS,    GOD    WILLS.  157 

door,  talked  a  few  minutes  with  her,  and  then  took  his  departure 
by  the  small  secret  door,  and  went  up  to  Madame  de  Sauve, 
who  had  duly  informed  him  of  the  queen  mother's  visit  as  well 
as  the  unquestionable  danger  which  threatened  him.  Warned 
on  both  sides,  Henry  redoubled  his  watchfulness  against  the 
queen  mother  and  felt  all  distrust  of  her  because  little  by 
little  her  face  began  to  unbend,  and  one  morning  Henry 
detected  a  friendly  smile  on  her  bloodless  lips.  That  day  he 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  bring  himself  to  eat  anything 
else  than  eggs  cooked  by  himself  or  to  drink  anything  else 
than  water  which  his  own  eyes  had  seen  dipped  up  from  the 
Seine. 

The  massacres  were  still  going  on,  but  nevertheless  were 
diminishing  in  violence.  There  had  been  such  a  wholesale 
butchery  of  the  Huguenots  that  their  number  was  greatly 
reduced.  The  larger  part  were  dead  ;  many  had  fled ;  a  few 
had  remained  in  concealment.  Occasionally  a  great  outcry 
arose  in  one  district  or  another ;  it  meant  that  one  of  these 
was  discovered.  Then  the  execution  was  either  private  or 
public  according  as  the  victim  was  driven  into  a  corner  or 
could  escape.  In  such  circumstances  it  furnished  great  amuse- 
ment for  the  neighborhood  where  the  affair  took  place ;  for 
instead  of  growing  calmer  as  their  enemies  were  annihilated, 
the  Catholics  grew  more  and  more  ferocious  ;  the  fewer  the 
remaining  victims,  the  more  bloodthirsty  they  seemed  in  their 
persecution  of  the  rest. 

Charles  IX.  had  taken  great  pleasure  in  hunting  the 
Huguenots,  and  when  he  could  no  longer  continue  the  chase 
himself  he  took  delight  in  the  noise  of  others  hunting  them. 

One  day,  returning  from  playing  at  mall,  which  with  tennis 
and  hunting  were  his  favorite  amusements,  he  went  to  his 
mother's  apartments  in  high  spirits,  followed  by  his  usual  train 
of  courtiers. 

"  Mother,"  he  said,  embracing  the  Florentine,  who,  observing 
his  joy,  was  already  trying  to  detect  its  cause  ;  "  mother,  good 
news  !  Mort  de  tons  Les  diables  !  Do  you  know  that  the  admiral's 
illustrious  carcass  which  it  was  said  was  lost  has  been  found  ?  " 

"  Aha  !  "  said  Catharine. 

"  Oh,  heavens  !  yes.  You  thought  as  I  did,  mother,  the 
dogs  had  eaten  a  wedding  dinner  off  him,  but  it  was  not  so. 
My  people,  my  dear  people,  my  good  people,  had  a  clever  idea 
and  have  hung  the  admiral  up  at  the  gibbet  of  Montfaucon. 


158  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Du  haut  en  bas  Gaspard  on  ajete, 
Et  puis  de  bas  en  haut  on  Va  monte"  ' 

"  Well ! "  said  Catharine. 

"  Well,  good  mother,"  replied  Charles  IX.,  "  I  have  a  strong 
desire  to  see  him  again,  dear  old  man,  now  I  know  he  is  really 
dead.  It  is  very  fine  weather  and  everything  seems  to  be 
blooming  to-day.  The  air  is  full  of  life  and  perfume,  and 
I  feel  better  than  I  ever  did.  If  you  like,  mother,  we  will 
get  on  horseback  and  go  to  Montfaucon." 

"  Willingly,  my  son,",  said  Catharine,  "  if  I  had  not  made 
an  appointment  which  I  cannot  defer  ;  and  beside,  to  pay  a 
visit  to  a  man  of  such  importance  as  the  admiral,  we  should 
invite  the  whole  court.  It  will  be  an  occasion  for  observers 
to  make  curious  observations.  We  shall  see  who  comes  and 
who  stays  away." 

"  Faith,  you  are  right,  mother,  we  will  put  it  off  till  to- 
morrow ;  that  will  be  better,  so  send  out  your  invitations  and 
I  will  send  mine ;  or  rather  let  us  not  invite  any  one.  We 
will  only  say  we  are  going,  and  then  every  one  will  be  free. 
Good-by,  mother !  I  am  going  to  play  on  the  horn." 

"  You  will  exhaust  yourself,  Charles,  as  Ambroise  Pare  is 
always  telling  you,  and  he  is  right.  It  is  too  severe  an  exercise 
for  you." 

"  Bah  !  bah  !  bah  !  "  said  Charles  ;  "  I  wish  I  were  sure  noth- 
ing else  would  be  the  cause  of  my  death.  I  should  then  bury 
every  one  here,  including  Harry,  who  will  one  day  succeed  us 
all,  as  Nostradamus  prophesies." 

Catharine  frowned. 

"My  son,"  she  said,  "mistrust  especially  all  things  that 
appear  impossible,  and  meanwhile  take  care  of  yourself." 

"Only  two  or  three  blasts  to  rejoice  my  dogs,  poor  things; 
they  are  wearied  to  death  with  doing  nothing.  I  ought  to 
have  let  them  loose  on  the  Huguenots ;  that  would  have  done 
them  good  ! " 

And  Charles  IX.  left  his  mother's  room,  went  into  his 
armory,  took  down  a  horn,  and  played  on  it  with  a  vigor 
that  would  have  done  honor  to  Roland  himself.  It  was  diffi- 
cult to  understand  how  so  weak  a  frame  and  such  pale  lips 
could  blow  a  blast  so  powerful. 

1  From  up  above  to  down  below  Qaspard  was  flung, 
And  then  from  down  below  to  high  above  was  hung. 


WHAT    WOMAN    WILLS,    GOD    WILLS.  159 

Catharine,  in  truth,  was  awaiting  some  one  as  she  had  told 
her  son.  A  moment  after  he  had  left  her,  one  of  her  women 
came  and  spoke  to  her  in  a  low  voice.  The  queen  smiled,  rose, 
and  saluting  the  persons  who  formed  her  court,  followed  the 
messenger. 

Rene  the  Florentine,  the  man  to  whom  on  the  eve  of  Saint 
Bartholomew  the  King  of  Navarre  had  given  such  a  diplomatic 
reception,  had  just  entered  her  oratory. 

"  Ah,  here  you  are,  Rene,"  said  Catharine,  "  I  was  impa- 
tiently waiting  for  you." 

Rene  bowed. 

"  Did  you  receive  the  note  I  wrote  you  yesterday  ?  " 

« I  had  that  honor." 

"  Did  you  make  another  trial,  as  I  asked  you  to  do,  of  the 
horoscope  cast  by  Ruggieri,  and  agreeing  so  well  with  the 
prophecy  of  Nostradamus,  which  says  that  all  my  three  sons 
shall  reign  ?  For  several  days  past,  affairs  have  decidedly 
changed,  Rene,  and  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  possibly  fate 
has  become  less  threatening." 

"  Madame,"  replied  Rene,  shaking  his  head,  "  your  majesty 
knows  well  that  affairs  do  not  change  fate ;  on  the  contrary, 
fate  controls  affairs." 

"  Still,  you  have  tried  the  sacrifice  again,  have  you  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,"  replied  Rene ;  "  for  it  is  my  duty  to  obey 
you  in  all  things." 

«  Well  —  and  the  result  ?  " 

"  Still  the  same,  madame." 

"  What,  the  black  lamb  uttered  its  three  cries  ?  " 

"  Just  the  same  as  before,  madame." 

"  The  sign  of  three  cruel  deaths  in  my  family,"  murmured 
Catharine. 

"  Alas  !  "  said  Rene. 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"  Then,  madame,  there  was  in  its  entrails  that  strange  dis- 
placement of  the  liver  which  we  had  already  observed  in  the 
first  two  —  it  was  wrong  side  up  ! " 

"  A  change  of  dynasty  !  Still  —  still  —  still  the  same  !  " 
muttered  Catharine ;  "  yet  we  must  fight  against  this,  Rene," 
she  added. 

Rene  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  told  your  majesty,"  he  said,  "  that  fate  rules." 

"  Is  that  your  opinion  ?  "  asked  Catharine. 


160  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Do  you  remember  Jeanne  d' Albret's  horoscope  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Repeat  it  to  me,  I  have  quite  forgotten  it." 

"  Vives  honorata"  said  Rene,  "  morieris  reformidata,  regina 
amplificabere." 

"  That  means,  I  believe,"  said  Catharine,  "  Thou  shalt  live 
honored  —  and  she  lacked  common  necessaries,  poor  thing ! 
Thou  shalt  die  feared  —  and  we  laughed  at  her.  Thou  shalt 
be  greater  than  thou  hast  been  as  a  queen  —  and  she  is  dead, 
and  sleeps  in  a  tomb  on  which  we  have  not  even  engraved  her 
name." 

"  Madame,  your  majesty  does  not  translate  the  vives  hono- 
rata rightly.  The  Queen  of  Navarre  lived  honored ;  for  all 
her  life  she  enjoyed  the  love  of  her  children,  the  respect  of  her 
partisans  ;  respect  and  love  all  the  more  sincere  in  that  she  was 
poor." 

"Yes,"  said  Catharine,  "I  grant  you  the  vives  honorata; 
but  morieris  reformidata :  how  will  you  explain  that  ? " 

"  Nothing  more  easy  :   Thou  shalt  die  feared." 

u  Well  —  did  she  die  feared  ?  " 

"  So  much  so  that  she  would  not  have  died  had  not  your 
majesty  feared  her.  Then  —  As  a,  queen  thou  shalt  be  greater  ; 
or,  Thou  shalt  be  greater  than  thou  hast  been  as  a  queen.  This 
is  equally  true,  madame ;  for  in  exchange  for  a  terrestrial 
crown  she  has  doubtless,  as  a  queen  and  martyr,  a  celestial 
crown  ;  and,  besides,  who  knows  what  the  future  may  reserve 
for  her  posterity  ?  " 

Catharine  was  excessively  superstitious ;  she  was  even 
more  alarmed  at  Rene's  coolness  than  at  the  steadfastness  of 
the  auguries,  and  as  in  her  case  any  scrape  was  a  chance  for 
her  boldly  to  master  the  situation,  she  said  suddenly  to  him, 
without  any  other  transition  than  the  working  of  her  own 
thoughts : 

"  Are  any  perfumes  come  from  Italy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Send  me  a  boxful." 

«  Of  which  ?  " 

"  Of  the  last,  of  those  "  — 

Catharine  stopped. 

"  Of  those  the  Queen  of  Navarre  was  so  fond  of  ?  "  asked 
Rene. 


WHAT    WOMAN    WILLS,    GOD     WILLS.  161 

«  Exactly." 

"  I  need  not  prepare  them,  for  your  majesty  is  now  as  skil- 
ful at  them  as  I  am." 

"  You  think  so  ?  "  said  Catharine.  "  They  certainly  suc- 
ceed." 

"  Has  your  majesty  anything  more  to  say  to  me  ?  "  asked 
the  perfumer. 

"  Nothing,"  replied  Catharine,  thoughtfully ;  "  at  least  I 
think  not,  only  if  there  is  any  change  in  the  sacrifices,  let  me 
know  it  in  time.  By  the  way,  let  us  leave  the  lambs,  and  try 
the  hens." 

"  Alas,  madame,  I  fear  that  in  changing  the  victim  we  shall 
not  change  the  presages." 

"  Do  as  I  tell  you." 

The  perfumer  bowed  and  left  the  apartment. 

Catharine  mused  for  a  short  time,  then  rose  and  returning 
to  her  bedchamber,  where  her  women  awaited  her,  announced 
the  pilgrimage  to  Montfaucon  for  the  morrow. 

The  news  of  this  pleasure  party  caused  great  excitement  in 
the  palace  and  great  confusion  in  the  city :  the  ladies  prepared 
their  most  elegant  toilets;  the  gentlemen,  their  finest  arms 
and  steeds ;  the  tradesmen  closed  their  shops,  and  the  populace 
killed  a  few  straggling  Huguenots,  in  order  to  furnish  company 
for  the  dead  admiral. 

There  was  a  tremendous  hubbub  all  the  evening  and  during 
a  good  part  of  the  night. 

La  Mole  had  spent  a  miserable  day,  and  this  miserable  day 
had  followed  three  or  four  others  equally  miserable.  Monsieur 
d'Alenqon,  to  please  his  sister,  had  installed  him  in  his  apart- 
ments, but  had  not  seen  him  since.  He  felt  himself  like  a 
poor  deserted  child,  deprived  of  the  tender  care,  the  soothing 
attention  of  two  women,  the  recollection  of  one  of  whom 
occupied  him  perpetually.  He  had  heard  of  her  through  the 
surgeon  Ambroise  Pare,  whom  she  had  sent  to  him,  but  what 
he  heard  from  a  man  of  fifty  who  was  ignorant  or  pretended 
to  be  ignorant  of  the  interest  felt  by  La  Mole  in  everything 
appertaining  to  Marguerite  was  very  fragmentary  and  insuf- 
ficient. Gillonne,  indeed,  had  come  once,  of  her  own  accord, 
be  it  understood,  to  ask  after  him,  and  the  visit  was  to  him 
like  a  sunbeam  darting  into  a  dungeon,  and  La  Mole  had 
remained  dazzled  by  it,  and  had  expected  a  second  visit,  and 
yet  two  days  passed  and  she  had  not  appeared. 


162  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  convalescent  heard  of  this  magnif- 
icent reunion  of  the  whole  court  for  the  following  day  he  sent 
to  ask  Monsieur  d'Alenqon  the  favor  of  accompanying  it. 

The  duke  did  not  even  inquire  whether  La  Mole  was  able 
to  bear  the  fatigue,  but  merely  answered  : 

"  Capital !     Let  him  have  one  of  my  horses." 

That  was  all  La  Mole  wanted.  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  came 
as  usual  to  dress  his  wounds,  and  La  Mole  explained  to  him 
the  necessity  he  was  under  of  mounting  on  horseback,  and 
begged  him  to  put  on  the  bandages  with  double  care. 

The  two  wounds,  both  that  on  the  breast  and  that  on  the 
shoulder,  were  closed ;  the  one  on  the  shoulder  only  pained 
him.  Both  were  rose-red  in  color,  which  showed  that  they 
were  in  a  fair  way  of  healing.  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  covered 
them  with  gummed  taffetas,  a  remedy  greatly  in  vogue  then, 
and  promised  La  Mole  that  if  he  did  not  exert  himself  too 
much  everything  would  go  well. 

La  Mole  was  at  the  height  of  joy.  Save  for  a  certain  weak- 
ness caused  by  loss  of  blood  and  a  slight  giddiness  attributable 
to  the  same  cause,  he  felt  as  well  as  could  be.  Besides,  doubt- 
less Marguerite  would  be  in  the  party ;  he  should  see  Mar- 
guerite again.  And  when  he  remembered  what  benefit  he  had 
received  from  the  sight  of  G-illonne,  he  had  no  doubt  that 
her  mistress  would  have  a  still  more  efficacious  influence  upon 
him. 

So  La  Mole  spent  a  part  of  the  money  which  he  had  received 
when  he  went  away  from  his  family  in  the  purchase  of  the 
most  beautiful  white  satin  doublet  and  the  finest  embroidered 
mantle  that  could  be  furnished  by  a  fashionable  tailor.  The 
same  tailor  procured  for  him  a  pair  of  those  perfumed  boots 
such  as  were  worn  at  that  period.  The  whole  outfit  was 
brought  to  him  in  the  morning  only  a  half  hour  later  than  the 
time  at  which  La  Mole  had  ordered  it,  so  that  he  had  not 
much  fault  to  find. 

He  dressed  himself  quickly,  looked  in  the  glass,  and  found 
that  he  was  suitably  attired,  arranged,  and  perfumed.  Then 
by  walking  up  and  down  the  room  several  times,  he  assured 
himself  that  though  it  caused  him  some  sharp  pangs,  still  the 
happiness  which  he  felt  in  his  heart  would  render  these  physi- 
cal inconveniences  of  no  account.  A  cherry-colored  mantle  of 
his  own  design,  and  cut  rather  longer  than  they  were  worn 
then,  proved  to  be  very  becoming  to  him. 


WHAT    WOMAN    WILLS,    GOD    WILLS.  163 

While  he  was  thus  engaged  in  the  Louvre,  another  scene,  of 
a  similar  kind,  was  going  on  at  the  Hotel  de  Guise.  A  tall 
gentleman,  with  red  hair,  was  examining,  before  a  glass,  a 
reddish  mark  which  went  across  his  face  very  disagreeably ; 
he  combed  and  perfumed  his  mustache,  and  while  he  was 
perfuming  it,  he  kept  spreading  over  that  unfortunate 
mark  which,  in  spite  of  all  the  cosmetics  then  in  use,  persisted 
in  reappearing,  a  three-fold  layer  of  white  and  red  ;  but  as  the 
application  was  insufficient  an  idea  came  to  him :  a  hot  sun, 
an  August  sun,  was  flashing  its  rays  into  the  court-yard ;  he 
made  his  way  down  there,  took  his  hat  in  his  hand,  and  with 
his  nose  in  the  air  and  his  eyes  closed,  he  walked  up  and  down 
for  ten  minutes,  fully  exposed  to  the  devouring  flarne  which 
fell  from  heaven  like  a  torrent.  At  the  end  of  these  ten  min- 
utes, owing  to  the  unexampled  ardor  of  the  sun,  the  gentle- 
man's face  had  acquired  such  a  brilliant  color  that  the  red 
streak  was  now  no  more  in  harmony  with  the  rest  than  it 
had  been,  but  in  comparison  seemed  yellow. 

Nevertheless,  the  gentleman  did  not  seem  much  dissatisfied 
with  this  rainbow  effect  which  he  did  his  best  to  bring  into 
accord  with  the  rest  of  his  face  by  spreading  a  layer  of  ver- 
milion over  it,  after  which  he  put  on  a  magnificent  suit  which 
a  tailor  had  brought  to  his  room  without  any  commands  from 
him.  Thus  attired,  scented,  and  armed  from  head  to  foot,  he 
again  went  down  into  the  court-yard  and  began  to  pat  a  large 
black  horse  whose  beauty  would  have  been  matchless  but  for  a 
small  cut,  like  his  own,  made  by  a  reiter's  sabre  in.  one  of  the 
last  civil  conflicts. 

Yet,  enchanted  with  the  good  steed  as  he  was  with  him- 
self, the  gentleman,  whom  no  doubt  our  readers  have  easily 
recognized,  was  on  his  back  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  any  of 
the  others  and  making  the  court-yard  of  the  Hotel  de  Guise 
resound  with  the  whinnying  of  the  charger  accompanied  by 
exclamations  of  mordi,  pronounced  in  every  variety  of  accent 
according  as  he  compelled  the  horse  to  submit  to  this  author- 
ity. At  the  end  of  a  moment  the  horse  completely  subdued, 
recognized  by  his  obedience  and  subjection  his  master's  legiti- 
mate control,  but  the  victory  had  not  been  obtained  without 
noise,  and  this  noise,  which  was  perhaps  the  very  thing  our 
gentleman  reckoned  upon,  this  noise  had  attracted  to  the 
windows  a  lady  whom  our  queller  of  horses  saluted  respect- 
fully, and  who  smiled  at  him  in  the  most  agreeable  manner. 


164  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

Five  minutes  later  Madame  de  Nevers  summoned  her 
steward. 

"  Sir,"  said  she,  "  has  Monsieur  le  Comte  Annibal  de 
Coconnas  been  furnished  a  suitable  breakfast?" 

"  Yes,  madame,"  replied  the  steward,  "  he  ate  this  morning 
with  a  better  appetite  than  usual." 

"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  the  duchess. 

Then  addressing  her  first  gentleman  in  waiting  : 

"  Monsieur  d'Arguzon,"  she  said,  "  let  us  set  out  for  the 
Louvre,  and  keep  an  eye,  I  beg,  on  Monsieur  le  Comte  Annibal 
de  Coconnas,  for  he  is  wounded,  and  consequently  still  weak  ; 
and  I  would  not  for  all  the  world  any  accident  should  happen 
to  him.  That  would  make  the  Huguenots  laugh,  for  they  owe 
him  a  spite  since  the  blessed  night  of  Saint  Bartholomew." 

And  Madame  de  Nevers,  mounting  her  horse,  went  joyfully 
towards  the  Louvre,  which  was  the  general  rendezvous. 

It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  as  a  file  of  cavaliers, 
overflowing  with  gold,  jewels,  and  magnificent  garments, 
appeared  in  the  Rue  Saint  Denis,  entering  by  the  corner  of  the 
Cemetery  of  the  Innocents  and  stretching  itself  out  in  the  sun- 
light between  the  two  rows  of  gloomy  looking  houses  like  an 
immense  reptile  with  variegated  rings. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
A  DEAD  ENEMY'S  BODY  ALWAYS  SMELLS  SWEET. 

No  brilliant  company,  however,  could  give  any  idea  of  this 
spectacle.  The  rich  and  elegant  silk  dresses,  bequeathed  as  a 
magnificent  fashion  by  Frangois  I.  to  his  successors,  had  not 
yet  been  changed  into  those  formal  and  sombre  vestments 
which  came  into  fashion  under  Henry  III. ;  so  that  the 
costume  of  Charles  IX.,  less  rich,  but  perhaps  more  elegant 
than  those  of  preceding  reigns,  displayed  its  perfect  harmony. 
In  our  day  no  similar  cortege  could  have  any  standard  of  com- 
parison, for  when  we  wish  magnificence  of  display  we  are 
reduced  to  mere  symmetry  and  uniform. 

Pages,  esquires,  gentlemen  of  low  degree,  dogs  and  horses, 
following  on  the  flanks  and  in  the  rear,  formed  of  the  royal  cor- 


A    DEAD.  ENEMY'S   BODY    SMELLS    SWEET.     165 

tege  an  absolute  army.  Behind  this  army  came  the  populace, 
or  rather  the  populace  was  everywhere. 

It  followed,  trooped  alongside,  and  rushed  ahead  ;  there  were 
shouts  of  Noel  and  Haro,  for  there  were  distinguishable  in  the 
procession  many  Calvinists  to  hoot  at,  and  the  populace  harbors 
resentment. 

That  morning  Charles,  in  presence  of  Catharine  and  the 
Due  de  Guise,  had,  as  a  perfectly  natural  thing  spoken  before 
Henry  of  Navarre  of  going  to  visit  the  gibbet  of  Montfaucon, 
or,  rather,  the  admiral's  mutilated  corpse  which  had  been  sus- 
pended from  it.  Henry's  first  impulse  had  been  to  refuse  to  take 
part  in  this  excursion.  Catharine  supposed  he  would.  At 
the  first  words  in  which  he  expressed  his  repugnance  she  ex- 
changed a  glance  and  a  smile  with  the  Due  de  Guise.  Henry 
detected  them  both,  understood  what  they  meant,  and  suddenly 
recovering  his  presence  of  mind  said  : 

"  But  why  should  I  not  go  ?  I  am  a  Catholic,  and  am 
bound  to  my  new  religion." 

Then  addressing  the  King  : 

"Your  Majesty  may  reckon  on  my  company,"  he  said  ;  "  and 
I  shall  be  always  happy  to  accompany  you  wheresoever  you 
may  go." 

And  he  threw  a  sweeping  glance  around,  to  see  whose  brows 
might  be  frowning. 

Perhaps  of  all  that  cortege,  the  person  who  was  looked  at 
with  the  greatest  curiosity  was  that  motherless  son,  that 
kingless  king,  that  Huguenot  turned  Catholic.  His  long  and 
marked  countenance,  his  somewhat  vulgar  figure,  his  familiar- 
ity with  his  inferiors,  which  he  carried  to  a  degree  almost 
derogatory  to  a  king,  —  a  familiarity  acquired  by  the  moun- 
taineer habits  of  his  youth,  and  which  he  preserved  till  his 
death,  —  marked  him  out  to  the  spectators,  some  of  whom  cried : 

"  To  mass,  Harry,  to  mass ! " 

To  which  Henry  replied  : 

"  I  attended  it  yesterday,  to-day,  and  I  shall  attend  it  again 
to-morrow.  Venire  saint  gris  !  surely  that  is  sufficient." 

Marguerite  was  on  horseback  —  so  lovely,  so  fresh,  so  ele- 
gant that  admiration  made  a  regular  concert  around  her, 
though  it  must  be  confessed  that  a  few  notes  of  it  were 
addressed  to  her  companion,  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers,  who  had 
just  joined  her  on  a  white  horse  so  proud  of  his  burden  that 
he  kept  tossing  his  head. 


166  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Well,  duchees ! "  said  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  "  what  is 
there  new  ?  " 

"  Why,  madame,"  replied  the  duchess,  aloud,  "  I  know  of 
nothing." 

Then  in  a  lower  tone : 

"  And  what  has  become  of  the  Huguenot  ?  " 

"  I  have  found  him  a  retreat  almost  safe,"  replied  Margue- 
rite. "  And  the  wholesale  assassin,  what  have  you  done  with 
him  ?  " 

"  He  wished  to  take  part  in  the  festivity,  and  so  we  mounted 
him  on  Monsieur  de  Nevers'  war-horse,  a  creature  as  big  as  an 
elephant.  He  is  a  fearful  cavalier.  I  allowed  him  to  be 
present  at  the  ceremony  to-day,  as  I  felt  that  your  Huguenot 
would  be  prudent  enough  to  keep  his  chamber  and  that  there 
was  no  fear  of  their  meeting." 

"  Oh,  faith  !  "  replied  Marguerite,  smiling,  "  if  he  were  here, 
and  he  is  not  here,  I  do  not  think  a  collision  would  take  place. 
My  Huguenot  is  remarkably  handsome,  but  nothing  more  - 
a  dove,  and  not  a  hawk ;  he  coos,  but  does  not  bite.  After  all," 
she  added,  with  a  gesture  impossible  to  describe,  and  shrug- 
ging her  shoulders  slightly,  "after  all,  perhaps  our  King 
thought  him  a  Huguenot  while  he  is  only  a  Brahmin,  and  his 
religion  forbids  him  to  shed  blood." 

"  But  where,  pray,  is  the  Due  d'Alenqon  ?  "  inquired  Hen- 
riette ;  "  I  do  not  see  him." 

"  He  will  join  us  later ;  his  eyes  troubled  him  this  morning 
and  he  was  inclined  not  to  come,  but  as  it  is  known  that  be- 
cause he  holds  a  different  opinion  from  Charles  and  his  brother 
Henry  he  inclines  toward  the  Huguenots,  he  became  convinced 
that  the  King  might  put  a  bad  interpretation  on  his  absence 
and  he  changed  his  mind.  There,  hark  !  people  are  gazing  and 
shouting  yonder ;  it  must  be  that  he  is  coming  by  the  Porte 
Montmartre." 

"  You  are  right ;  't  is  he  ;  I  recognize  him.  How  elegant  he 
looks  to-day,"  said  Henriette.  "  For  some  time  he  has  taken 
particular  pains  with  his  appearance ;  he  must  be  in  love.  See 
how  nice  it  is  to  be  a  prince  of  the  blood,  he  gallops  over  every 
one,  they  all  draw  on  one  side." 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite,  laughing,  "  he  will  ride  over  us. 
For  Heaven's  sake  draw  your  attendants  to  one  side,  duchess, 
for  there  is  one  of  them  who  will  be  killed  if  he  does  not 
give  way." 


A  DEAD  ENEMY'S  BODY  SMELLS  SWEET.    167 

"  It  is  my  hero  !  "  cried  the  duchess  ;  "  look,  only  look !  " 

Coconnas  had  left  his  place  to  approach  the  Duchesse  de 
Nevers,  but  just  as  his  horse  was  crossing  the  kind  of  exterior 
boulevard  which  separates  the  street  from  the  Faubourg  Saint 
Denis,  a  cavalier  of  the  Due  d'Alengon's  suite,  trying  in  vain 
to  rein  in  his  excited  horse,  dashed  full  against  Coconnas. 
Coconnas,  shaken  by  the  collision,  reeled  on  his  colossal  mount, 
his  hat  nearly  fell  off ;  he  put  it  on  more  firmly  and  turned 
round  furiously. 

"  Heavens  ! "  said  Marguerite,  in  a  low  tone,  to  her  friend, 
"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ! " 

"  That  handsome,  pale  young  man  ?  "  exclaimed  the  duchess, 
unable  to  repress  her  first  impression. 

"  Yes,  yes ;  the  very  one  who  nearly  upset  your  Pied- 
mo  ntese." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  duchess,  "  something  terrible  will  happen ! 
they  look  at  each  other  —  recollect  each  other ! " 

Coconnas  had  indeed  recognized  La  Mole,  and  in  his  surprise 
dropped  his  bridle,  for  he  believed  he  had  killed  his  old  com- 
panion, or  at  least  put  him  hors  de  combat  for  some  time.  La 
Mole  had  also  recognized  Coconnas,  and  he  felt  a  fire  mount  up 
into  his  face.  For  some  seconds,  which  sufficed  for  the  expres- 
sion of  all  the  sentiments  these  two  men  harbored,  they  gazed 
at  each  other  in  a  way  which  made  the  two  women  shudder. 

After  which,  La  Mole,  having  looked  about  him,  and  doubt- 
less seeing  that  the  place  was  ill  chosen  for  an  explanation, 
spurred  his  horse  and  rejoined  the  Due  d'Alenqon.  Coconnas 
remained  stationary  for  a  moment,  twisting  his  mustache  until 
the  point  almost  entered  his  eye ;  then  seeing  La  Mole  dash  off 
without  a  word,  he  did  the  same. 

"  Ah,  ha !  "  said  Marguerite,  with  pain  and  contempt,  "  so  I 
was  not  mistaken  —  it  is  really  too  much  ; "  and  she  bit  her 
lips  till  the  blood  came. 

"  He  is  very  handsome,"  added  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers, 
with  commiseration. 

Just  at  this  moment  the  Due  d'Alenqon  reached  his  place 
behind  the  King  and  the  queen  mother,  so  that  his  suite,  in 
following  him,  were  obliged  to  pass  before  Marguerite  and  the 
Duchesse  de  Nevers.  La  Mole,  as  he  rode  before  the  two 
princesses,  raised  his  hat,  saluted  the  queen,  and,  bowing  to 
his  horse's  neck,  remained  uncovered  until  her  majesty  should 
honor  him  with  a  look. 


168  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

But  Marguerite  turned  her  head  aside  disdainfully. 

La  Mole,  no  doubt,  comprehended  the  contemptuous  expres- 
sion of  the  queen's  features,  and  from  pale  he  became  livid, 
and  that  he  might  not  fall  from  his  horse  was  compelled  to 
hold  on  by  the  mane. 

"  Oh,  oh  ! "  said  Henriette  to  the  queen  ;  "  look,  cruel  that 
you  are !  —  he  is  going  to  faint." 

"  Good,"  said  the  queen,  with  a  cruel  smile  ;  "  that  is  the 
only  thing  we  need.  Where  are  your  salts  ?  " 

Madame  de  Nevers  was  mistaken.  La  Mole,  with  an  effort, 
recovered  himself,  and  sitting  erect  on  his  horse  took  his 
place  in  the  Due  d'Alenqon's  suite. 

Meantime  they  kept  on  their  way  and  at  length  saw  the 
lugubrious  outline  of  the  gibbet,  erected  and  first  used  by 
Enguerrand  de  Marigny.  Never  before  had  it  been  so 
adorned. 

The  ushers  and  guards  went  forward  and  made  a  wide  circle 
around  the  enclosure.  As  they  drew  near,  the  crows  perched  on 
the  gibbet  flew  away  with  croakings  of  despair. 

The  gibbet  erected  at  Montfaucon  generally  offered  behind 
its  posts  a  shelter  for  the  dogs  that  gathered  there  attracted  by 
frequent  prey,  and  for  philosophic  bandits  who  came  to  ponder 
on  the  sad  chances  of  fortune. 

That  day  at  Montfaucon  there  were  apparently  neither  dogs 
nor  bandits.  The  ushers  and  guards  had  scared  away  the  dogs 
together  with  the  crows,  and  the  bandits  had  mingled  with  the 
throng  so  as  to  make  some  of  the  lucky  hits  which  are  the 
more  cheerful  vicissitudes  of  their  profession. 

The  procession  moved  forward ;  the  King  and  Catharine 
arrived  first,  then  came  the  Due  d'Anjou,  Due  d'Alenqon,  the 
King  of  Navarre,  Monsieur  de  Guise,  and  their  followers,  then 
Madame  Marguerite,  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers,  and  all  the 
women  who  composed  what  was  called  the  queen's  flying 
squadron ;  then  the  pages,  squires,  attendants,  and  people  — 
in  all  ten  thousand  persons. 

From  the  principal  gibbet  hung  a  misshapen  mass,  a  black 
corpse  stained  with  coagulated  blood  and  mud,  whitened  by 
layers  of  dust.  The  carcass  was  headless,  and  it  was  hung  by 
the  legs,  and  the  populace,  ingenious  as  it  always  is,  had 
replaced  the  head  with  a  bunch  of  straw,  to  which  was  fastened 
a  mask  ;  and  in  the  mouth  of  this  mask  some  wag,  knowing  the 
admiral's  habit,  had  introduced  a  toothpick. 


A  DEAD  ENEMY'S  BODY  SMELLS  SWEET.    169 

At  once  appalling  and  singular  was  the  spectacle  of  all 
these  elegant  lords  and  handsome  ladies  like  a  procession 
painted  by  Goya,  riding  along  in  the  midst  of  those  blackened 
carcasses  and  gibbets,  with  their  long  lean  arms. 

The  noisier  the  exultation  of  the  spectators,  the  more  strik- 
ingly it  contrasted  with  the  melancholy  silence  and  cold 
insensibility  of  those  corpses  —  objects  of  ridicule  which  made 
even  the  jesters  shudder. 

Many  could  scarcely  end  are  this  horrible  spectacle,  and  by 
his  pallor  might  be  distinguished,  in  the  centre  of  collected 
Huguenots,  Henry,  who,  great  as  was  his  power  of  self-con- 
trol and  the  degree  of  dissimulation  conferred  on  him  by 
Heaven,  could  no  longer  bear  it. 

He  made  as  his  excuse  the  strong  stench  which  emanated 
from  all  those  human  remains,  and  going  to  Charles,  who, 
with  Catharine,  had  stopped  in  front  of  the  admiral's  dead 
body,  he  said: 

"  Sire,  does  not  your  Majesty  find  that  this  poor  carcass 
smells  so  strong  that  it  is  impossible  to  remain  near  it  any 
longer  ?  " 

"  Do  you  find  it  so,  Harry  ?  "  inquired  the  King,  his  eyes 
sparkling  with  ferocious  joy. 

«  Yes,  sire." 

"  Well,  then,  I  am  not  of  your  opinion  ;  a  dead  enemy's 
corpse  always  smells  sweet." 

"  Faith,  sire,"  said  Tavannes,  "  since  your  Majesty  knew 
that  we  were  going  to  make  a  little  call  on  the  admiral,  you 
should  have  invited  Pierre  Ronsard,  your  teacher  of  poetry ; 
he  would  have  extemporized  an  epitaph  for  the  old  Gaspard." 

"  There  is  no  need  of  him  for  that,"  said  Charles  IX.,  after 
an  instant's  thought : 

"  Ci-git,  —  mais  c'est  mal  entendu, 

Pour  lui  le  mot  est  trop  honnete,  — 
Id  I'amiral  est  pendu 

Par  les  pieds,  a  faute  de  tete."  ! 

"  Bravo !  bravo !  "  cried  the  Catholic  gentlemen  in  unison, 
while  the  collected  Huguenots  scowled  and  kept  silent,  and 
Henry,  as  he  was  talking  with  Marguerite  and  Madame  de 
Nevers,  pretended  not  to  have  heard. 

iHere  lies  —  the  term  the  question  begs, 

For  him  you  need  a  word  that  "s  stronger : 
Here  hangs  the  admiral  by  the  legs  — 

Because  he  has  a  head  no  longer) 


170  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Come,  come,  sir !  "  said  Catharine,  who,  in  spite  of  the 
perfumes  with  which  she  was  covered,  began  to  be  made  ill  by 
the  odor.  "Come,  however  agreeable  company  may  be,  it 
must  be  left  at  last;  let  us  therefore  say  good-by  to  the 
admiral,  and  return  to  Paris." 

She  nodded  ironically  as  when  one  takes  leave  of  a  friend, 
and,  taking  the  head  of  the  column,  turned  to  the  road,  while 
the  cortege  denied  before  Coligny's  corpse. 

The  sun  was  sinking  in  the  horizon. 

The  throng  followed  fast  on  their  majesties  so  as  to  enjoy 
to  the  very  end  all  the  splendors  of  the  procession  and  the 
details  of  the  spectacle ;  the  thieves  followed  the  populace,  so 
that  in  ten  minutes  after  the  King's  departure  there  was  no 
person  about  the  admiral's  mutilated  carcass  on  which  now 
blew  the  first  breezes  of  the  evening. 

When  we  say  no  person,  we  err.  A  gentleman  mounted  on 
a  black  horse,  and  who,  doubtless,  could  not  contemplate  at  his 
ease  the  black  mutilated  trunk  when  it  was  honored  by  the 
presence  of  princes,  had  remained  behind,  and  was  examining, 
in  all  their  details,  the  bolts,  stone  pillars,  chains,  and  in  fact 
the  gibbet,  which  no  doubt  appeared  to  him  (but  lately  ar- 
rived in  Paris,  and  ignorant  of  the  perfection  to  which  things 
could  be  brought  in  the  capital)  the  paragon  of  all  that  man 
could  invent  in  the  way  of  awful  ugliness. 

We  need  hardly  inform  our  friends  that  this  man  was  M. 
Annibal  de  Coconnas. 

A  woman's  practised  eye  had  vainly  looked  for  him  in  the 
cavalcade  and  had  searched  among  the  ranks  without  being 
able  to  find  him. 

Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  as  we  have  said,  was  standing  ecstat- 
ically contemplating  Enguerrand  de  Marigny's  work. 

But  this  woman  was  not  the  only  person  who  was  trying  to 
find  Monsieur  de  Coconnas.  Another  gentleman,  noticeable 
for  his  white  satin  doublet  and  gallant  plume,  after  looking 
toward  the  front  and  on  all  sides,  bethought  him  to  look  back, 
and  saw  Coconnas's  tall  figure  and  the  silhouette  of  his 
gigantic  horse  standing  out  strongly  against  the  sky  reddenec7  by 
the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun. 

Then  the  gentleman  in  the  white  satin  doublet  turned  out 
from  the  road  taken  by  the  majority  of  the  company,  struck 
into  a  narrow  footpath,  and  describing  a  curve  rode  back  toward 
the  gibbet. 


A  DEAD  ENEMY'S  BODY  SMELLS  SWEET.    171 

Almost  at  the  same  time  the  lady  whom  we  have  recognized 
as  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers,  just  as  we  recognized  the  tall  gentle- 
man on  the  black  horse  as  Coconnas,  rode  alongside  of  Mar- 
guerite and  said  to  her : 

"  We  were  both  mistaken,  Marguerite,  for  the  Piedniontese 
has  remained  behind  and  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  has  gone  back 
to  meet  him." 

"By  Heaven!"  exclaimed  Marguerite,  laughing,  "then  some- 
thing is  going  to  happen.  Faith,  I  confess  I  should  not  be 
sorry  to  revise  my  opinion  about  him." 

Marguerite  then  turned  her  horse  and  witnessed  the  ma- 
noeuvre which  we  have  described  La  Mole  as  performing. 

The  two  princesses  left  the  procession ;  the  opportunity  was 
most  favorable :  they  were  passing  by  a  hedge-lined  footpath 
which  led  up  the  hill,  and  in  doing  so  pasted  within  thirty 
yards  of  the  gibbet.  Madame  de  Nevers  whispered  a  word  in 
her  captain's  ear,  Marguerite  beckoned  to  Gillonne,  and  the 
four  turned  into  this  cross  path  and  went  and  hid  behind  the 
shrubbery  nearest  to  the  place  where  the  scene  which  they 
evidently  expected  to  witness  was  to  take  place.  It  was  about 
thirty  yards,  as  we  have  already  said,  from  the  spot  where 
Coconnas  in  a  state  of  ecstasy  was  gesticulating  before  the 
admiral. 

Marguerite  dismounted,  Madame  de  Nevers  and  Gillonne  did 
the  same  ;  the  captain  then  got  down  and  took  the  bridles  of  the 
four  horses.  Thick  green  furnished  the  three  women  a  seat 
such  as  princesses  often  seek  in  vain.  The  glade  before  them 
was  so  open  that  they  would  not  miss  the  slightest  detail. 

La  Mole  had  accomplished  his  circuit.  He  rode  up  slowly 
and  took  his  stand  behind  Coconnas ;  then  stretching  out  his 
hand  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 

The  Piedmontese  turned  round. 

"  Oh !  "  said  he,  "  so  it  was  not  a  dream  !  You  are  still 
alive ! " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  La  Mole ;  "  yes,  I  am  still  alive.  It  is 
no  fault  of  yours,  but  I  am  still  alive." 

"  By  Heaven !  I  know  you  again  well  enough,"  replied  Co- 
connas, "  in  spite  of  your  pale  face.  You  were  redder  than 
that  the  last  time  we  met !  " 

"  And  I,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  also  recognize  you,  in  spite  of 
that  yellow  line  across  your  face.  You  were  paler  than  that 
when  I  made  that  mark  for  you  !  " 


172  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

Coconnas  bit  his  lips,  but,  evidently  resolved  on  continuing 
the  conversation  in  a  tone  of  irony,  he  said : 

"  It  is  curious,  is  it  not,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  particularly 
for  a  Huguenot,  to  be  able  to  look  at  the  admiral  suspended 
from  that  iron  hook?  And  yet  they  say  there  are  people 
extravagant  enough  to  accuse  us  of  killing  even  small  Hugue- 
nots, sucklings." 

"  Count,"  said  La  Mole,  bowing,  "  I  am  no  longer  a  Hugue- 
not ;  I  have  the  happiness  of  being  a  Catholic  !  " 

"  Bah  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  bursting  into  loud  laughter ; 
"  so  you  are  a  convert,  sir  ?  Oh,  that  was  clever  of  you  ! " 

"  Sir,"  replied  La  Mole,  with  the  same  seriousness  and  the 
same  politeness,  "  I  made  a  vow  to  become  a  convert  if  I 
escaped  the  massacre." 

"  Count,"  said  the  Piedmontese,  "  that  was  a  very  prudent 
vow,  and  I  beg  to  congratulate  you.  Perhaps  you  made  still 
others  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  made  a  second,"  answered  La  Mole,  patting  his 
horse  with  entire  coolness. 

"  And  what  might  that  be  ?  "  inquired  Coconnas. 

"  To  hang  you  up  there,  by  that  small  nail  which  seems  to 
await  you  beneath  Monsieur  de  Coligny." 

"What,  as  I  am  now?"  asked  Coconnas,  "alive  and 
merry  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  after  I  have  passed  my  sword  through  your 
body ! " 

Coconnas  became  purple,  and  his  eyes  darted  flames. 

"  Do  you  mean,"  said  he  in  a  bantering  tone,  "  to  that  nail  ?  " 

«  Yes,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  to  that  nail." 

"  You  are  not  tall  enough  to  do  it,  my  little  sir  !" 

"  Then  I  '11  get  on  your  horse,  my  great  man-slayer,"  replied 
La  Mole.  "  Ah,  you  believe,  my  dear  Monsieur  Annibal  de 
Coconnas,  that  one  may  with  impunity  assassinate  people 
under  the  loyal  and  honorable  excuse  of  being  a  hundred 
to  one,  forsooth !  But  the  day  comes  when  a  man  finds  his 
man ;  and  I  believe  that  day  has  come  now.  I  should  very 
well  like  to  send  a  bullet  through  your  ugly  head  ;  but,  bah  ! 
I  might  miss  you,  for  my  hand  is  still  trembling  from  the 
traitorous  wounds  you  inflicted  upon  me." 

"  My  ugly  head !  "  shouted  Coconnas,  leaping  down  from 
his  steed.  "  Down  —  down  from  your  horse,  M.  le  Comte, 
and  draw !  " 


COCONNAS    AT   THE   GIBBET. 


A    DEAD    ENEMY'S   BODY  SMELLS    SWEET.     173 

And  he  drew  his  sword. 

"  I  believe  your  Huguenot  called  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  an 
1  ugly  head/  "  whispered  the  Duehesse  de  Nevers.  "  Do  you 
think  he  is  bad  looking  ? '' 

"  He  is  charming,"  said  Marguerite,  laughing,  "  and  I  am 
compelled  to  acknowledge  that  fury  renders  Monsieur  de  La 
Mole  unjust ;  but  hush  !  let  us  watch  !  " 

In  fact,  La  Mole  had  dismounted  from  his  horse  with  as 
much  deliberation  as  Coconnas  had  shown  of  precipitation ;  he 
had  taken  off  his  cherry-colored  cloak,  laid  it  leisurely  on  the 
ground,  drawn  his  sword,  and  put  himself  on  guard. 

"  Ai'e  !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  stretched  out  his  arm. 

"  Ouf !  "  muttered  Coconnas,  as  he  moved  his,  —  for  both, 
as  it  will  be  remembered,  had  been  wounded  in  the  shoulder 
and  it  hurt  them  when  they  made  any  violent  movement. 

A  burst  of  laughter,  ill  repressed,  came  from  the  clump  of 
bushes.  The  princesses  could  not  quite  contain  themselves  at 
the  sight  of  their  two  champions  rubbing  their  omoplates  and 
making  up  faces. 

This  burst  of  merriment  reached  the  ears  of  the  two  gentle- 
men, who  were  ignorant  that  they  had  witnesses ;  turning 
round,  they  beheld  their  ladies. 

La  Mole  resumed  his  guard  as  firm  as  an  automaton,  and 
Coconnas  crossed  his  blade  with  an  emphatic  "  By  Heaven ! " 

"  Ah  qa !  now  they  will  murder  each  other  in  real  earnest, 
if  we  do  not  interfere.  There  has  been  enough  of  this.  Hola, 
gentlemen  !  —  hola ! "  cried  Marguerite. 

"  Let  them  be !  let  them  be ! "  said  Henriette,  who  having 
seen  Coconnas  at  work,  hoped  in  her  heart  that  he  would 
have  as  easy  a  victory  over  La  Mole  as  he  had  over  Mercan- 
don's  son  and  two  nephews. 

"  Oh,  they  are  really  beautiful  so ! "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 
"  Look  —  they  seem  to  breathe  fire  !  " 

Indeed,  the  combat,  begun  with  sarcasms  and  mutual  insults, 
became  silent  as  soon  as  the  champions  had  crossed  their 
swords.  Each  distrusted  his  own  strength,  and  each,  at  every 
quick  pass,  was  compelled  to  restrain  an  expression  of  pain 
occasioned  by  his  own  wounds.  Nevertheless,  with  eyes  fixed 
and  burning,  mouth  half  open,  and  teeth  clenched,  La  Mole 
advanced  with  short  and  firm  steps  toward  his  adversary,  who, 
seeing  in  him  a  most  skilful  swordsman,  retreated  step  by 
step.  They  both  thus  reached  the  edge  of  the  ditch  on  the 


174  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

other  side  of  which  were  the  spectators ;  then,  as  if  his  retreat 
had  been  only  a  simple  stratagem  to  draw  nearer  to  his  lady, 
Coconnas  took  his  stand,  and  as  La  Mole  made  his  guard  a 
little  too  wide,  he  made  a  thrust  with  the  quickness  of  light- 
ning and  instantly  La  Mole's  white  satin  doublet  was  stained 
with  a  spot  of  blood  which  kept  growing  larger. 

"  Courage  ! "  cried  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers. 

"  Ah,  poor  La  Mole ! "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  with  a  cry  of 
distress. 

La  Mole  heard  this  cry,  darted  at  the  queen  one  of  those 
looks  which  penetrate  the  heart  even  deeper  than  a  sword- 
point,  and  taking  advantage  of  a  false  parade,  thrust  vigorously 
at  his  adversary. 

This  time  the  two  women  vittered  two  cries  which  seemed 
like  one.  The  point  of  La  Mole's  rapier  had  appeared,  all 
covered  with  blood,  behind  Coconnas's  back. 

Yet  neither  fell.  Both  remained  erect,  looking  at  each  other 
with  open  mouth,  and  feeling  that  on  the  slightest  movement 
they  must  lose  their  balance.  At  last  the  Piedmontese,  more 
dangerously  wounded  than  his  adversary,  and  feeling  his  senses 
forsaking  him  with  his  blood,  fell  on  La  Mole,  grasping  him 
with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  endeavored  to  unsheath 
his  poniard. 

La  Mole  roused  all  his  strength,  raised  his  hand,  and  let 
fall  the  pommel  of  his  sword  on  Coconnas's  forehead.  Coconnas, 
stupefied  by  the  blow,  fell,  but  in  his  fall  drew  down  his 
adversary  with  him,  and  both  rolled  into  the  ditch. 

Then  Marguerite  and  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers,  seeing  that, 
dying  as  they  were,  they  were  still  struggling  to  destroy  each 
other,  hastened  to  them,  followed  by  the  captain  of  the  guards ; 
but  before  they  could  reach  them  the  combatants'  hands  un- 
loosened, their  eyes  closed,  and  letting  go  their  grasp  of  their 
weapons  they  stiffened  in  what  seemed  like  their  final  agony. 
A  wide  stream  of  blood  bubbled  round  them. 

"Oh,  brave,  brave  La  Mole  !"  cried  Marguerite,  unable  any 
longer  to  repress  her  admiration.  "  Ah  !  pardon  me  a  thousand 
times  for  having  a  moment  doubted  your  courage." 

And  her  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"  Alas  !  alas  !  "  murmured  the  duchess,  "  gallant  Annibal. 
Did  you  ever  see  two  such  intrepid  lions,  madame  ?  " 

And  she  sobbed  aloud. 

"  Heavens !  what  ugly  thrusts,"  said  the  captain,  endeavoring 


A    DEAD    ENEMY'S  BODY  SMELLS    SWEET.     175 

to  stanch  the  streams   of   blood.     "  Hola !    you,    there,  come 
here  as  quickly  as  you  can  —  here,  I  say  " — 

He  addressed  a  man  who,  seated  on  a  kind  of  tumbril  or 
cart  painted  red,  appeared  in  the  evening  mist  singing  this  old 
song,  which  had  doubtless  been  suggested  to  him  by  the 
miracle  of  the  Cemetery  of  the  Innocents  : 

"  Bel  aubespin  fleurissant 

Verdissant, 

Le  long  de  ce  beau  rivage, 
Tu  es  vetu,  jusqu'au  bas 

Des  longs  bras 
Ifune  lambrusche  sauvage. 

"  Le  chantre  rossignolet, 

Nouvelet, 

Courtisant  sa  bien-aimee 
Pour  ses  amours  alleger 

Vient  loger 
Tous  les  ans  sous  ta  ramee. 

"  Or,  vis,  gentil  aubespin 

Vis  sans  fin  ; 

Vis,  sans  que  jamais  tonnerre, 
Ou  la  cognee,  ou  les  vents 

On  le  temps 
Te  puissent  ruer  par.7'     .     .     .  * 

"  Hola  !  he  !  "  shouted  the  captain  a  second  time,  "  come 
when  you  are  called.  Don't  you  see  that  these  gentlemen 
need  help  ?  " 

1  Hawthorn  brightly  blossoming, 

Thou  dost  fling 

Verdant  shadows  down  the  river  ; 
Thou  art  clad  from  top  to  roots 

With  long  shoots 
On  which  graceful  leaflets  quiver. 

Here  the  poetic  nightingale 

Ne'er  doth  fail  — 
Having  sung  his  love  to  capture  — 
To  repair  to  consecrate, 
"Neath  thy  verdure,  hours  of  rapture. 

Therefore  live,  O  Hawthorn  fair, 

Live  fore'er! 

May  no  thunder  bolt  dare  amite  thee! 
May  no  axe  or  cruel  blast 

Overcast ! 
May  the  tooth  of  time     .     .    . 


176  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

The  carter,  whose  repulsive  exterior  and  coarse  face  formed 
a  singular  contrast  with  the  sweet  and  sylvan  song  we  have 
just  quoted,  stopped  his  horse,  got  out,  and  bending  over  the 
two  bodies  said : 

"  These  be  terrible  wounds,  sure  enough,  but  I  have  made 
worse  in  my  time." 

"  Who  are  you,  pray  ?  "  inquired  Marguerite,  experiencing, 
in  spite  of  herself,  a  certain  vague  terror  which  she  could  not 
overcome. 

"  Madame,"  replied  the  man,  bowing  down  to  the  ground,  "  I 
am  Maitre  Caboche,  headsman  to  the  provostry  of  Paris,  and 
I  have  come  to  hang  up  at  the  gibbet  some  companions  for 
Monsieur  the  Admiral." 

"  Well !  and  I  am  the  Queen  of  Navarre,"  replied  Marguerite ; 
"  cast  your  corpses  down  there,  spread  in  your  cart  the  housings 
of  our  horses,  and  bring  these  two  gentlemen  softly  behind  us 
to  the  Louvre." 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

MAfTRE    AMBROISE    PARC's    CONFRERE. 

THE  tumbril  in  which  Coconnas  and  La  Mole  were  laid 
started  back  toward  Paris,  following  in  the  shadow  the 
guiding  group.  It  stopped  at  the  Louvre,  and  the  driver  was 
amply  rewarded.  The  wounded  men  were  carried  to  the  Due 
d'Alenqon's  quarters,  and  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  was  sent  for. 

When  he  arrived,  neither  of  the  two  men  had  recovered  con- 
sciousness. 

La  Mole  was  the  least  hurt  of  the  two.  The  sword  had 
struck  him  below  the  right  armpit,  but  without  touching  any 
vital  parts.  Coconnas  was  run  through  the  lungs,  and  the 
air  that  escaped  from  his  wound  made  the  flame  of  a  candle 
waver. 

Ambroise  Pare  would  not  answer  for  Coconnas. 

Madame  de  Nevers  was  in  despair.  Relying  on  Coconnas' s 
strength,  courage,  and  skill,  she  had  prevented  Marguerite  from 
interfering  with  the  duel.  She  would  have  had  Coconnas 
taken  to  the  Hotel  de  Guise  and  gladly  bestowed  on  him  a 
second  time  the  care  which  she  had  already  lavished  on  his 
comfort,  but  her  husband  was  likely  to  arrive  from  Rome  at  any 


MAITRE    AMBROISE    FARE'S    CONFRERE.       177 

moment  and  find  fault  with  the  introduction  of  a  strange  man 
in  the  domestic  establishment. 

To  hide  the  cause  of  the  wounds,  Marguerite  had  had  the 
two  young  men  brought  to  her  brother's  rooms,  where  one 
of  them,  to  be  sure,  had  already  been  installed,  by  saying  that 
they  were  two  gentlemen  who  had  been  thrown  from  their 
horses  during  the  excursion,  but  the  truth  was  divulged  by  the 
captain,  who,  having  witnessed  the  duel,  could  not  help  express- 
ing his  admiration,  and  it  was  soon  known  at  court  that  two 
new  raffines  1  had  burst  into  sudden  fame.  Attended  by  the 
same  surgeon,  who  divided  his  attentions  between  them,  the 
two  wounded  men  passed  through  the  different  phases  of  con- 
valescence arising  from  the  greater  or  less  severity  of  their 
wounds.  La  Mole,  who  was  less  severely  wounded  of  the  two, 
was  the  first  to  recover  consciousness.  A  terrible  fever  had 
taken  possession  of  Coconnas  and  his  return  to  life  was  at- 
tended by  all  the  symptoms  of  the  most  horrible  delirium. 

Though  La  Mole  was  confined  in  the  same  room  with  Co- 
connas, he  had  not,  when  he  came  to  himself,  seen  his  com- 
panion, or  if  he  saw  him,  he  betrayed  no  sign  that  he  saw  him. 
Coconnas,  on  the  contrary,  as  soon  as  he  opened  his  eyes,  fast- 
ened them  on  La  Mole  with  an  expression  which  proved  that 
the  blood  he  had  lost  had  not  modified  the  passions  of  his  fiery 
temperament. 

Coconnas  thought  he  was  dreaming,  and  that  in  this  dream 
he  saw  the  enemy  he  imagined  he  had  twice  slain,  only  the 
dream  was  unduly  prolonged.  After  having  observed  La  Mole 
laid,  like  himself,  on  a  couch,  and  his  wounds  dressed  by  the 
surgeon,  he  saw  him  rise  up  in  bed,  while  he  himself  was  still 
confined  to  his  by  his  fever,  his  weakness,  and  his  pain ;  he  saw 
him  get  out  of  bed,  then  walk,  first  leaning  on  the  surgeon's 
arm,  and  then  on  a  cane,  and  finally  without  assistance. 

Coconnas,  still  delirious,  viewed  these  different  stages  of  his 
companion's  recovery  with  eyes  sometimes  dull,  at  others  wan- 
dering, but  always  threatening. 

All  this  presented  to  the  Piedmontese's  fiery  spirit  a  fearful 
mixture  of  the  fantastic  and  the  real.  For  him  La  Mole  was 
dead,  wholly  dead,  having  been  actually  killed  twice  and  not 
merely  once,  and  yet  he  recognized  this  same  La  Mole's  ghost 
lying  in  a  bed  like  his  own ;  then,  as  we  have  said,  he  saw  this 

lRajflne»  or  raffine.  d'honneur  was  a  term  applied  in  the  18th  century  to  men  sensi- 
tively punctilious  and  ready  to  draw  their  B  words  at  the  slightest  provocation. — N.H.D. 


1T8  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

ghost  get  up,  walk  round,  and,  horrible  to  relate,  come  toward 
his  bed.  This  ghost,  whom  Coconnas  would  have  wished  to 
avoid,  even  had  it  been  in  the  depths  of  hell,  came  straight  to 
him  and  stopped  beside  his  pillow,  standing  there  and  looking 
at  him ;  there  was  in  his  features  a  look  of  gentleness  and 
compassion  which  Coconnas  took  for  the  expression  of  hellish 
derision. 

There  arose  in  his  mind,  possibly  more  wounded  than  his 
body,  an  insatiable  thirst  of  vengeance.  He  was  wholly  oc- 
cupied with  one  idea,  that  of  procuring  some  weapon,  and  with 
that  weapon  piercing  the  body  or  the  ghost  of  La  Mole  which 
so  cruelly  persecuted  him.  His  clothes,  stained  with  blood,  had 
been  placed  on  a  chair  by  his  bed,  but  afterwards  removed,  it 
being  thought  imprudent  to  leave  them  in  his  sight ;  but  his 
poniard  still  remained  on  the  chair,  for  it  was  imagined  it  would 
be  some  time  before  he  would  want  to  use  it. 

Coconnas  saw  the  poniard ;  three  nights  while  La  Mole 
was  slumbering  he  strove  to  reach  it ;  three  nights  his  strength 
failed  him,  and  he  fainted.  At  length,  on  the  fourth  night,  he 
clutched  it  convulsively,  and  groaning  with  the  pain  of  the 
effort,  hid  the  weapon  beneath  his  pillow. 

The  next  day  he  saw  something  he  had  never  deemed  possible. 
La  Mole's  ghost,  which  every  day  seemed  to  gain  strength, 
while  he,  occupied  with  the  terrible  dream,  kept  losing  his  in 
the  eternal  weaving  of  the  scheme  which  was  to  rid  him  of 
it,  —  La  Mole's  ghost,  growing  more  and  more  energetic,  walked 
thoughtfully  up  and  down  the  room  three  or  four  times,  then, 
after  having  put  on  his  mantle,  buckled  on  his  sword,  and  put 
on  a  broad-brimmed  felt  hat,  opened  the  door  and  went  out. 

Coconnas  breathed  again.  He  thought  that  he  was  freed 
from  his  phantom.  For  two  or  three  hours  his  blood  circulated 
more  calmly  and  coolly  in  his  veins  than  it  had  done  since  the 
duel.  La  Mole's  absence  for  one  day  would  have  restored  Co- 
connas to  his  senses ;  a  week's  absence  would  perhaps  have 
cured  him ;  unfortunately,  La  Mole  returned  at  the  end  of  two 
hours. 

This  reappearance  of  La  Mole  was  like  a  poniard-stab  for 
Coconnas ;  and  although  La  Mole  did  not  return  alone,  Co- 
connas did  not  give  a  single  look  at  his  companion. 

And  yet  his  companion  was  worth  looking  at. 

He  was  a  man  of  forty,  short,  thick-set,  and  vigorous,  with 
black  hair  which  came  to  his  eyebrows,  and  a  black  beard, 


MA!TRE  AMBROISE  FARE'S  CONFRERE.     179 

which,  contrary  to  the  fashion  of  the  period,  thickly  covered 
the  chin;  but  he  seemed  one  who  cared  little  for  the  fashion. 

He  wore  a  leather  jerkin,  all  covered  with  brown  spots ;  red 
hose  and  leggings,  thick  shoes  coming  above  the  ankle,  a  cap 
the  same  color  as  his  stockings,  and  a  girdle,  from  which  hung 
a  large  knife  in  a  leather  sheaf,  completed  his  attire. 

This  singular  personage,  whose  presence  in  the  Louvre 
seemed  so  anomalous,  threw  his  brown  mantle  on  a  chair  and 
unceremoniously  approached  Coconnas,  whose  eyes,  as  if  fas- 
cinated, remained  fixed  upon  La  Mole,  who  remained  at  some 
distance.  He  looked  at  the  sick  man,  and  shaking  his  head, 
said  to  La  Mole : 

"  You  have  waited  till  it  was  rather  late,  my  dear  gentle- 
man." 

"  I  could  not  get  out  sooner,''  said  La  Mole. 

"  Eh !  Heavens  !  you  should  have  sent  for  me." 

«  Whom  had  I  to  send  ?  " 

"  True,  I  forgot  where  we  are.  I  had  told  those  ladies,  but 
they  would  not  listen  to  me.  If  my  prescriptions  had  been 
followed  instead  of  those  of  that  ass,  Ambroise  Pare,  you  would 
by  this  time  have  been  in  a  condition  to  go  in  pursuit  of  ad- 
ventures together,  or  exchange  another  sword-thrust  if  such 
had  been  your  good  pleasure ;  but  we  shall  see.  Does  your 
friend  listen  to  reason  ?  " 

"  Scarcely." 

"  Hold  out  your  tongue,  my  dear  gentleman." 

Coconnas  thrust  out  his  tongue  to  La  Mole,  making  such  a 
hideous  grimace  that  the  practitioner  shook  his  head  a  second 
time. 

"  Oho !  "  he  muttered,  "  contraction  of  the  muscles.  There  's 
no  time  to  be  lost.  This  evening  I  will  send  you  a  potion 
ready  prepared ;  you  must  make  him  take  it  three  times :  once 
at  midnight,  once  at  one  o'clock,  and  once  at  two." 

"Very  well." 

"  But  who  will  make  him  take  it  ?  " 

« I  will." 

"You?" 

"  Yes." 

"  You  give  me  your  word  ?  " 

"  On  my  honor." 

"  And  if  any  physician  should  attempt  to  abstract  the  slightest 
portion  to  analyze  it  and  discover  what  its  ingredients  are  "  — • 


180  MARGUERITE    DE    VALO1S. 

"  I  will  spill  it  to  the  last  drop." 

"  This  also  on  your  honor  ?  " 

"  I  swear  it ! " 

"  Whom  shall  I  send  you  this  potion  by  ?  " 

"  Any  one  you  please." 

"  But  my  messenger  "- 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  How  will  he  get  to  you  ?  " 

"  That  is  easily  managed.  He  will  say  that  he  comes  from 
Monsieur  Rene,  the  perfumer." 

"  That  Florentine  who  lives  on  the  Pont  Saint  Michel  ?  " 

"  Exactly.  He  is  allowed  to  enter  the  Louvre  at  any  hour, 
day  or  night." 

The  man  smiled. 

"  In  fact,"  said  he,  "  the  queen  mother  at  least  owes  him  that 
much.  It  is  understood,  then ;  he  will  come  from  Maitre  Rene, 
the  perfumer.  I  may  surely  use  his  name  for  once :  he  has 
often  enough  practised  my  profession  without  having  taken 
his  degree  either." 

"  Then,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  may  rely  on  you." 

«  You  may." 

"  And  about  the  payment  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  will  arrange  about  that  with  the  gentleman  him- 
self when  he  is  well  again." 

"  You  may  be  quite  easy  on  that  score,  for  I  am  sure  he  will 
pay  you  generously." 

"  I  believe  you.  And  yet,"  he  added  with  a  strange  smile, 
"  as  the  people  with  whom  I  have  to  do  are  not  wont  to  be 
grateful,  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  when  he  is  on  his  legs 
again  he  should  forget  or  at  least  not  think  to  give  a  single 
thought  to  me." 

"  All  right,"  said  La  Mole,  smiling  also,  "  in  that  case  I 
should  have  to  jog  his  memory." 

"  Very  well,  we  '11  leave  it  so.  In  two  hours  you  will  receive 
the  medicine." 

"  Au  revoir !  " 

"  You  said  "  — 

"Au  revoir." 

The  man  smiled. 

"  It  is  always  my  custom,"  he  added,  "  to  say  adieu !  So 
adieu,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole.  In  two  hours  you  will  have  the 


MAfTRE    AMBROISE    PAKE'S    CONFRERE.       181 

potion.  You  understand,  it  must  be  given  at  midnight — in 
three  doses  —  at  intervals  of  an  hour." 

So  saying  he  took  his  departure,  and  La  Mole  was  left  alone 
with  Coconnas. 

Coconnas  had  heard  the  whole  conversation,  but  understood 
nothing  of  it ;  a  senseless  babble  of  words,  a  senseless  jangling 
of  phrases,  was  all  that  came  to  him.  Of  the  whole  interview 
he  remembered  nothing  except  the  word  "midnight." 

He  continued  to  watch  La  Mole,  who  remained  in  the  room, 
pacing  thoughtfully  up  and  down. 

The  unknown  doctor  kept  his  word,  and  at  the  appointed 
time  sent  the  medicine,  which  La  Mole  placed  on  a  small 
silver  chafing-dish,  and  having  taken  this  precaution,  went  to 
bed. 

This  action  on  the  part  of  La  Mole  gave  Coconnas  a  little 
quietude.  He  tried  to  shut  his  eyes,  but  his  feverish  slumbers 
were  only  a  continuation  of  his  waking  delirium.  The  same 
phantom  which  haunted  him  by  day  came  to  disturb  him  by 
night ;  across  his  hot  eyelids  he  still  saw  La  Mole  as  threaten- 
ing as  ever,  and  a  voice  kept  repeating  in  his  ear :  "  Midnight, 
midnight,  midnight !  " 

Suddenly  the  echoing  note  of  a  clock's  bell  awoke  in  the 
night  and  struck  twelve.  Coconnas  opened  his  blood-shot 
eyes ;  the  fiery  breath  from  his  breast  scorched  his  dry  lips, 
an  unquenchable  thirst  devoured  his  burning  throat ;  the  little 
night  lamp  was  burning  as  usual,  and  its  dim  light  made  thou- 
sands of  phantoms  dance  before  his  wandering  eyes. 

And  then  a  horrible  vision  —  he  saw  La  Mole  get  out  of  bed, 
and  after  walking  iip  and  down  the  room  two  or  three  times,  as 
the  sparrow-hawk  flits  before  the  little  bird  it  is  trying  to  fas- 
cinate, come  toward  him  with  his  fist  clinched. 

Coconnas  seized  his  poniard  and  prepared  to  plunge  it  into 
his  enemy. 

La  Mole  kept  coming  nearer. 

Coconnas  muttered : 

"  Ah  !  here  you  are  again  !  you  are  always  here  !  Come  on  ! 
You  threaten  me,  do  you  !  you  smile  !  Come,  come,  come  !  ah, 
you  still  keep  coming  nearer,  a  step  at  a  time  !  Come,  come, 
and  let  me  kill  you." 

And  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  just  as  La  Mole  bent 
down  to  him,  Coconnas  flashed  out  the  poniard  from  under  the 
clothes ;  but  the  effort  he  made  in  rising  exhausted  him,  the 


182  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

weapon  dropped  from  his  hand,  and  he  fell  back  upon  his 
pillow. 

"There,  there!"  said  La  Mole,  gently  lifting  his  head; 
"  drink  this,  my  poor  fellow,  for  you  are  burning  up." 

It  was  really  a  cup  La  Mole  presented  to  Coconnas,  who  in 
the  wild  excitement  of  his  delirium  took  it  to  be  a  threatening 
fist. 

But  at  the  nectarous  sensation  of  this  beneficent  draught, 
soothing  his  lips  and  cooling  his  throat,  Coconnas's  reason,  or 
rather  his  instinct,  came  back  to  him,  a  never  before  experienced 
feeling  of  comfort  pervaded  his  frame ;  he  turned  an  intelli- 
gent look  at  La  Mole,  who  was  supporting  him  in  his  arms, 
and  smiling  on  him ;  and  from  those  eyes,  so  lately  glowing 
with  fury,  a  tear  rolled  down  his  burning  cheek,  which  drank 
it  with  avidity. 

"  Mordl ! "  whispered  Coconnas,  as  he  fell  back  on  his 
bolster.  "  If  I  get  over  this,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  you  shall 
be  my  friend." 

"  And  you  will  get  over  it,"  said  La  Mole,  "  if  you  will  drink 
the  other  two  cups,  and  have  no  more  ugly  dreams." 

An  hour  afterward  La  Mole,  assuming  the  duties  of  a  nurse, 
and  scrupulously  carrying  out  the  unknown  doctor's  orders,  rose 
again,  poured  a  second  dose  into  the  cup,  and  carried  it  to 
Coconnas,  who  instead  of  waiting  for  him  with  his  poniard, 
received  him  with  open  arms,  eagerly  swallowed  the  potion, 
and  calmly  fell  asleep. 

The  third  cup  had  a  no  less  marvellous  effect.  The  sick 
man's  breathing  became  more  regular,  his  stiff  limbs  relaxed, 
a  gentle  perspiration  diffused  itself  over  his  burning  skin,  and 
when  Ambroise  Pare  visited  him  the  next  morning,  he  smiled 
complacently,  saying : 

"  I  answer  for  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  now ;  and  this  will  not 
be  one  of  the  least  difficult  cures  I  have  effected." 

This  scene,  half-dramatic,  half-burlesque,  and  yet  not  lacking 
in  a  certain  poetic  touch  when  Coconnas's  fierce  ways  were  taken 
into  consideration,  resulted  in  the  friendship  which  the  two 
gentlemen  had  begun  at  the  Inn  of  the  Belle  jfitoile,  and  which 
had  been  so  violently  interrupted  by  the  Saint  Bartholomew 
night's  occurrences,  from  that  time  forth  taking  on  a  new  vigor 
and  soon  surpassing  that  of  Orestes  and  Pylades  by  five  sword- 
thrusts  and  one  pistol-wound  exchanged  between  them. 

At  all  events,  wounds  old  and  new,  slight  or  serious,  were  at 


THE    GHOSTS.  183 

last  in  a  fair  way  of  cure.  La  Mole,  faithful  to  his  duties  as 
nurse,  would  not  forsake  the  sick-room  until  Coconnas  was  en- 
tirely well.  As  long  as  weakness  kept  the  invalid  on  the  bed, 
he  lifted  him,  and  when  he  began  to  improve  he  helped  him  to 
walk ;  in  a  word,  he  lavished  on  him  all  the  attentions  suggested 
by  his  gentle  and  affectionate  disposition,  and  this  care,  to- 
gether with  the  Piedmontese's  natural  vigor,  brought  about  a 
more  rapid  convalescence  than  would  have  been  expected. 

However,  one  and  the  same  thought  tormented  both  the 
young  men.  Each  had  in  his  delirium  apparently  seen  the 
woman  he  loved  approach  his  couch,  and  yet,  certainly  since 
they  had  recovered  their  senses,  neither  Marguerite  nor 
Madame  de  Nevers  had  entered  the  room.  However,  that  was 
perfectly  comprehensible  ;  the  one,  wife  of  the  King  of  Navarre, 
the  other,  the  Due  de  Guise's  sister-in-law,  could  not  have 
publicly  shown  two  simple  gentlemen  such  a  mark  of  evident 
interest,  could  they  ?  No  !  La  Mole  and  Coconnas  could  not 
make  any  other  reply  to  this  question.  But  still  the  absence 
of  the  ladies,  tantamount  perhaps  to  utter  forgetfulness,  was 
not  the  less  painful. 

It  is  true  the  gentleman  who  had  witnessed  the  duel  had 
come  several  times,  as  if  of  his  own  accord,  to  inquire  after 
them ;  it  is  true  Gillonne  had  done  the  same ;  but  La  Mole 
had  not  ventured  to  speak  to  the  one  concerning  the  queen ; 
Coconnas  had  not  ventured  to  speak  to  the  other  of  Madame 
de  Nevers. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE    GHOSTS. 

FOR  some  time  each  of  the  young  men  kept  his  secret  con- 
fined to  his  own  heart.  At  last  their  reserve  burst  its  barriers, 
and  the  thought  which  had  so  long  occupied  them  escaped 
their  lips,  and  both  cemented  their  friendship  by  this  final 
proof,  without  which  there  is  no  friendship,  —  namely,  perfect 
confidence. 

They  were  both  madly  in  love  —  one  with  a  princess  and  the 
other  with  a  queen. 

For  these  two  poor  suitors  there  was  something  frightful  in 


184  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

the  almost  insuperable  distance  separating  them  from  the 
objects  of  their  desires. 

And  yet  hope  is  a  sentiment  so  deeply  rooted  in  man's 
heart  that  in  spite  of  the  madness  of  their  love  they  hoped ! 

They  both,  as  they  recovered  from  their  illness,  took  great 
pains  with  their  personal  appearance.  Every  man,  even  the 
most  indifferent  to  physical  appearance,  has,  at  certain  times, 
mute  interviews  with  his  looking-glass,  signs  of  intelligence, 
after  which  he  generally  leaves  his  confidant,  quite  satisfied 
with  the  interview.  Now  our  two  young  men  were  not  persons 
whose  mirrors  were  compelled  to  give  them  harsh  advice.  La 
Mole,  delicate,  pale,  and  elegant,  had  the  beauty  of  distinction ; 
Cocounas,  powerful,  large-framed,  and  fresh-colored,  had  the 
beauty  of  strength.  He  had  more,  for  his  recent  illness  had 
been  of  advantage  to  him.  He  had  become  thinner,  grown 
paler,  and  the  famous  scar  which  had  formerly  caused  him  so 
much  anxiety  from  its  prismatic  relationship  to  the  rainbow 
had  disappeared,  giving  promise,  probably  like  the  post-diluvian 
phenomenon,  of  a  long  series  of  lovely  days  and  calm  nights. 

Moreover,  the  most  delicate  attentions  continued  to  be 
lavished  on  the  two  wounded  men,  and  each  of  them  on  the  day 
when  he  was  well  enough  to  rise  found  a  robe-de-chambre 
on  the  easy-chair  nearest  his  bed  ;  on  the  day  when  he  was 
able  to  dress  himself,  a  complete  suit  of  clothes ;  moreover,  in 
the  pocket  of  each  doublet  was  a  well-filled  purse,  which  they 
each  kept,  intending,  of  course,  to  return,  in  the  proper  time  and 
place,  to  the  unknown  protector  who  watched  over  them. 

This  unknown  protector  could  not  be  the  prince  in  whose 
quarters  the  two  young  men  resided,  for  the  prince  had  not 
only  never  once  paid  them  a  visit,  but  he  had  not  even  sent  to 
make  any  inquiry  after  them. 

A  vague  hope  whispered  to  each  heart  that  this  unknown 
protector  was  the  woman  he  loved. 

So  the  two  wounded  men  awaited  with  intense  impatience 
the  moment  when  they  could  go  out.  La  Mole,  stronger  and 
sooner  cured  than  Coconnas,  might  have  done  so  long  before, 
but  a  kind  of  tacit  convention  bound  him  to  his  friend.  It 
was  agreed  between  them  that  the  first  time  they  went  out 
they  should  make  three  calls : 

The  first  should  be  upon  the  unknown  doctor  whose  suave 
medicine  had  brought  such  a  remarkable  improvement  in  the 
inflammation  of  Coconnas's  lungs. 


THE    GHOSTS.  185 

The  second  to  the  dwelling  of  the  defunct  Maitre  La  Huriere, 
where  each  of  them  had  left  his  portmanteau  and  horse. 

The  third  to  the  Florentine  Rene,  who,  uniting  to  his  title  of 
perfumer  that  of  magician,  not  only  sold  cosmetics  and  poisons, 
but  also  concocted  philters  and  delivered  oracles. 

At  length,  after  two  months  passed  in  convalescence  and 
confinement,  the  long-looked-for  day  arrived. 

We  used  the  word  "  confinement;  "  the  use  of  it  is  accurate 
because  several  times  in  their  impatience  they  had  tried  to 
hasten  that  day  ;  but  each  time  a  sentinel  posted  at  the  door 
had  stopped  their  passage  and  they  had  learned  that  they  could 
not  step  out  unless  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  gave  them  their  exeat. 

Now,  one  day  that  clever  surgeon,  having  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  two  invalids  were,  if  not  completely  cured, 
at  least  on  the  road  to  complete  recovery,  gave  them  this  exeat, 
and  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  a'  fine  day  in  au- 
tumn, such  as  Paris  sometimes  offers  to  her  astonished  popula- 
tion, who  have  already  laid  up  a  store  of  resignation  for  the 
winter,  the  two  friends,  arm  in  arm,  set  foot  outside  the 
Louvre. 

La  Mole,  finding  to  his  great  satisfaction,  on  an  armchair, 
the  famous  cherry-colored  mantle  which  he  had  folded  so  care- 
fully before  the  duel,  undertook  to  be  Coconnas's  guide,  and 
Coconnas  allowed  himself  to  be  guided  without  resistance  or 
reflection.  He  knew  that  his  friend  was  taking  him  to  the  un- 
known doctor's  whose  potion  (not  patented)  had  cured  him  in 
a  single  night,  when  all  of  Master  Ambroise  Pare's  drugs  were 
slowly  killing  him.  He  had  divided  the  money  in  his  purse 
into  two  parts,  and  intended  a  hundred  rose-nobles  for  the  an- 
onymous Esculapius  to  whom  his  recovery  was  due.  Coconnas 
was  not  afraid  of  death,  but  Coconnas  was  not  the  less  satisfied 
to  be  alive  and  well,  and  so,  as  we  see,  he  was  intending  to 
recompense  his  deliverer  generously. 

La  Mole  proceeded  along  the  Rue  de  1'Astruce,  the  wide 
Rue  Saint  Honore,  the  Rue  des  Prouvelles,  and  soon  found 
himself  on  the  Place  des  Halles.  Near  the  ancient  fountain, 
at  the  place  which  is  at  the  present  time  called  the  Carreau  des 
Holies,  was  an  octagon  stone  building,  surmounted  by  a  vast 
wooden  lantern,  which  was  again  surmounted  by  a  pointed 
roof,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a  weathercock.  This  wooden 
lantern  had  eight  openings,  traversed,  as  that  heraldic  piece 
which  they  call  the  fastis  traverses  the  field  of  blazonry,  by  a 


186  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

kind  of  wooden  wheel,  which  was  divided  in  the  middle,  in 
order  to  admit  in  the  holes  cut  in  it  for  that  purpose  the  head 
and  hands  of  such  sentenced  person  or  persons  as  were 
exposed  at  one  or  more  of  these  eight  openings. 

This  singular  arrangement,  which  had  nothing  like  it  in  the 
surrounding  buildings,  was  called  the  pillory. 

An  ill-constructed,  irregular,  crooked,  one-eyed,  limping 
house,  the  roof  spotted  with  moss  like  a  leper's  skin,  had,  like 
a  toadstool,  sprung  up  at  the  foot  of  this  species  of  tower. 

This  house  was  the  executioner's. 

A  man  was  exposed,  and  was  thrusting  out  his  tongue  at  the 
passers-by ;  he  was  one  of  the  robbers  who  had  been  following 
his  profession  near  the  gibbet  of  Montfaucon,  and  had  by  ill 
luck  been  arrested  in  the  exercise  of  his  functions. 

Coconnas  believed  that  his  friend  had  brought  him  to  see 
this  singular  spectacle,  and  he  joined  the  crowd  of  sightseers 
who  were  replying  to  the  patient's  grimaces  by  vociferations 
and  gibes. 

Coconnas  was  naturally  cruel,  and  the  sight  very  much 
amused  him,  only  he  would  have  preferred  that  instead  of  gibes 
and  vociferations  they  had  thrown  stones  at  a  convict  so  inso- 
lent as  to  thrust  out  his  tongue  at  the  noble  lords  that  con- 
descended to  visit  him. 

So  when  the  moving  lantern  was  turned  on  its  base,  in  order 
to  show  the  culprit  to  another  portion  of  the  square,  and  the 
crowd  followed,  Coconnas  would  have  accompanied  them,  had 
not  La  Mole  checked  him,  saying,  in  a  low  tone  : 

"  We  did  not  come  here  for  this." 

"  Well,  what  did  we  come  for,  then  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  You  will  see,"  replied  La  Mole. 

The  two  friends  had  got  into  the  habit  of  addressing  each 
other  with  the  familiar  "thee"  and  "thou"  ever  since  the 
morning  of  that  famous  night  when  Coconnas  had  tried  to 
thrust  his  poniard  into  La  Mole's  vitals.  And  he  led  Coconnas 
directly  to  a  small  window  in  the  house  which  abutted  on  the 
tower ;  a  man  was  leaning  on  the  window-sill. 

"  Aha !  here  you  are,  gentlemen,"  said  the  man,  raising  his 
blood-red  cap,  and  showing  his  thick  black  hair,  which  came 
down  to  his  eyebrows.  "  You  are  welcome." 

"  Who  is  this  man  ? "  inquired  Coconnas,  endeavoring  to 
recollect,  for  it  seemed  to  him  he  had  seen  that  face  during 
one  of  the  crises  of  his  fever. 


THE    GHOSTS.  187 

"  Your  preserver,  my  dear  friend,"  replied  La  Mole  ;  "  he 
who  brought  to  you  at  the  Louvre  that  refreshing  drink  which 
did  you  so  much  good." 

"  Oho !  "  said  Coconnas  ;  "  in  that  case,  my  friend  "  — 

And  he  held  out  his  hand  to  him. 

But  the  man,  instead  of  returning  the  gesture,  drew  himself 
up  and  withdrew  from  the  two  friends  just  the  distance  occu- 
pied by  the  curve  of  his  body. 

"  Sir ! "  he  said  to  Coconnas,  "  thanks  for  the  honor  you 
wish  to  confer  on  me,  but  it  is  probable  that  if  you  knew  me 
you  would  not  do  so." 

"  Faith  ! "  said  Coconnas,  "  I  declare  that,  even  if  you  were 
the  devil  himself,  I  am  very  greatly  obliged  to  you,  for  if  it  had 
not  been  for  you  I  should  be  dead  at  this  time." 

"  I  am  not  exactly  the  devil,"  replied  the  man  in  the  red 
cap ;  "  but  yet  persons  are  frequently  found  who  would  rather 
see  the  devil  than  me." 

"  Who  are  you,  pray  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  man,  "  I  am  Maitre  Caboche,  the  execu- 
tioner of  the  provostry  of  Paris  "  — 

"  Ah  "  —    said  Coconnas,  withdrawing  his  hand. 

"  You  see  ! "  said  Maitre  Caboche. 

"  No,  no ;  I  will  touch  your  hand,  or  may  the  devil  fetch 
me  !  Hold  it  out "  — 

"Really?" 

"  Wide  as  you  can." 

«  Here  it  is." 

"  Open  it  —  wider  —  wider !  " 

And  Coconnas  took  from  his  pocket  the  handful  of  gold  he 
had  prepared  for  his  anonymous  physician  and  placed  it  in  the 
executioner's  hand. 

"  I  would  rather  have  had  your  hand  entirely  and  solely," 
said  Maitre  Caboche,  shaking  his  head,  "for  I  do  not  lack 
money,  but  I  am  in  need  of  hands  to  touch  mine.  Never 
mind.  God  bless  you,  my  dear  gentleman." 

"  So  then,  my  friend,"  said  Coconnas,  looking  at  the  execu- 
tioner with  curiosity,  "  it  is  you  who  put  men  to  the  rack, 
who  break  them  on  the  wheel,  quarter  them,  cut  off  heads, 
and  break  bones.  Aha !  I  am  very  glad  to  have  made  your 
acquaintance." 

"  Sir,"  said  Maitre  Caboche,  "  I  do  not  do  all  myself  ;  just 
as  you  noble  gentlemen  have  your  lackeys  to  do  what  you  do 


188  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

not  choose  to  do  yourself,  so  have  I  my  assistants,  who  do  the 
coarser  work  and  despatch  clownish  fellows.  Only  when, 
by  chance,  I  have  to  do  with  folks  of  quality,  like  you  and  your 
companion,  for  instance,  ah  !  then  it  is  another  thing,  and  I 
take  a  pride  in  doing  everything  myself,  from  first  to  last,  — 
that  is  to  say,  from  the  first  putting  of  the  question,  to  the 
decapitation." 

In  spite  of  himself,  Coconnas  felt  a  shudder  pervade  his 
veins,  as  if  the  brutal  wedge  was  pressing  his  leg  —  as  if  the 
edge  of  the  axe  was  against  his  neck. 

La  Mole,  without  being  able  to  account  for  it,  felt  the  same 
sensation. 

But  Coconnas  overcame  the  emotion,  of  which  he  was 
ashamed,  and  desirous  of  taking  leave  of  Maitre  Caboche  with 
a  jest  on  his  lips,  said  to  him  : 

"  Well,  master,  I  hold  you  to  your  word,  and  when  it  is  my 
turn  to  mount  Enguerrand  de  Marigny's  gallows  or  Monsieur 
de  Nemours's  scaffold  you  alone  shall  lay  hands  on  me." 

"  I  promise  you." 

"  Then,  this  time  here  is  my  hand,  as  a  pledge  that  I  accept 
your  promise,"  said  Cocounas. 

And  he  offered  the  executioner  his  hand,  which  the  latter 
touched  timidly  with  his  own,  although  it  was  evident  that  he 
had  a  great  desire  to  grasp  it  warmly. 

At  this  light  touch  Coconnas  turned  rather  pale ;  but  the 
same  smile  lingered  on  his  lips,  while  La  Mole,  ill  at  ease,  and 
seeing  the  crowd  turn  as  the  lantern  did  and  come  toward 
them,  touched  his  cloak. 

Coconnas,  who  in  reality  had  as  great  a  desire  as  La  Mole  to 
put  an  end  to  this  scene,  which  by  the  natural  bent  of  his 
character  he  had  delayed  longer  than  he  would  have  wished, 
nodded  to  the  executioner  and  went  his  way. 

"  Faith ! "  said  La  Mole,  when  he  and  his  companion  had 
reached  the  Croix  du  Trahoir,  "  I  must  confess  we  breathe 
more  freely  here  than  in  the  Place  des  Halles." 

"  Decidedly,"  replied  Coconnas ;  "  but  I  am  none  the  less 
glad  at  having  made  Maitre  Caboche's  acquaintance.  It  is 
well  to  have  friends  everywhere." 

"  Even  at  the  sign  of  the  Belle  Etoile"  said  La  Mole, 
laughing. 

"  Oh !  as  for  poor  Maitre  La  Huriere,"  said  Coconnas,  "  he 
is  dead  and  dead  again.  I  saw  the  arquebuse  spitting  flame,  I 


THE    GHOSTS.  189 

heard  the  thump  of  the  bullet,  which  sounded  as  if  it  had  struck 
against  the  great  bell  of  Notre-Dame,  and  I  left  him  stretched 
out  in  the  gutter  with  streams  of  blood  flowing  from  his  nose 
and  mouth.  Taking  it  for  granted  that  he  is  a  friend,  he  is  a 
friend  we  shall  have  in  the  next  world." 

Thus  chatting,  the  two  young  men  entered  the  Rue  de 
1'Arbre  Sec  and  proceeded  toward  the  sign  of  the  Belle  Etoile, 
which  was  still  creaking  in  the  same  place,  still  presenting  to 
the  traveller  its  astronomic  hearth  and  its  appetizing  inscrip- 
tion. Coconnas  and  La  Mole  expected  to  find  the  house  in  a 
desperate  state,  the  widow  in  mourning,  and  the  little  ones 
wearing  crepe  on  their  arms;  but  to  their  great  astonishment 
they  found  the  house  in  full  swing  of  activity,  Madame  La 
Huriere  mightily  resplendent,  and  the  children  gayer  than  ever. 

"  Oh,  the  faithless  creature ! "  cried  La  Mole ;  "  she  must 
have  married  again." 

Then  addressing  the  new  Artemise  : 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  "  we  are  two  gentlemen,  acquaintances 
of  poor  Monsieur  La  Huriere.  We  left  here  two  horses  and 
two  portmanteaus  which  we  have  come  to  claim." 

"  Gentlemen,"  replied  the  mistress  of  the  house,  after  she 
had  tried  to  bring  them  to  her  recollection,  "  as  I  have  not  the 
honor  of  knowing  you,  with  your  permission  I  will  go  and  call 
my  husband.  Gregoire,  ask  your  master  to  come." 

Gregoire  stepped  from  the  first  kitchen,  which  was  the  gen- 
eral pandemonium,  into  the  second,  which  was  the  laboratory 
where  Maitre  La  Huriere  in  his  life-time  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  concocting  the  dishes  which  he  felt  deserved  to  be  prepared 
by  his  clever  hands. 

"  The  devil  take  me,"  muttered  Coconnas,  "  if  it  does  not 
make  me  feel  badly  to  see  this  house  so  gay  when  it  ought  to 
be  so  melancholy.  Poor  La  Huriere  !  " 

"  He  tried  to  kill  me,"  said  La  Mole,  "  but  I  pardon  him 
with  all  my  heart." 

La  Mole  had  hardly  uttered  these  words  when  a  man  appeared 
holding  in  his  hand  a  stew-pan,  in  the  bottom  of  which  he  was 
browning  some  onions,  stirring  them  with  a  wooden  spoon. 

La  Mole  and  Coconnas  gave  vent  to  a  cry  of  amazement. 

As  they  did  so  the  man  lifted  his  head  and,  replying  by  a 
similar  cry,  dropped  his  stew-pan,  retaining  in  his  hand  only 
his  wooden  spoon. 

"  In  nomine  Patris,"  said  the  man,  waving  his  spoon  as  he 


190  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

would  have  done  with  a  holy-water  sprinkler,  "  et  Filii,  et 
Spiritus  sancti  "  — 

"  Maitre  La  Huriere  ! "  exclaimed  the  two  young  men. 

"  Messieurs  de  Coconnas  and  de  la  Mole ! "  cried  La  Huriere. 

"  So  you  are  not  dead  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  Why  !  can  it  be  that  you  are  alive  ?  "  asked  the  landlord. 

"  Nevertheless,  I  saw  you  fall,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  heard  the 
crash  of  the  bullet,  which  broke  something  in  you,  I  don't  know 
what.  I  left  you  lying  in  the  gutter,  with  blood  streaming  out 
of  your  nose,  out  of  your  mouth,  and  even  out  of  your  eyes." 

"  All  that  is  as  true  as  the  gospel,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas. 
But  the  noise  you  heard  was  the  bullet  striking  against  my 
sallat,  on  which  fortunately  it  flattened  itself ;  but  the  blow 
was  none  the  less  severe,  and  the  proof  of  it,"  added  La  Hu- 
riere, lifting  his  cap  and  displaying  a  pate  as  bald  as  a  man's 
knee,  "  is  that  as  you  see  I  have  not  a  spear  of  hair  left." 

The  two  young  men  burst  out  laughing  when  they  saw  his 
grotesque  appearance. 

"  Aha  !  you  laugh,  do  you  ?  "  said  La  Huriere,  somewhat  re- 
assured, "you  do  not  come,  then,  with  any  evil  intentions." 

"  Now  tell  us,  Maitre  La  Huriere,  are  you  entirely  cured  of 
your  bellicose  inclinations  ?  " 

"  Faith,  that  I  am,  gentlemen ;  and  now  "  — 

"  Well,  and  now  "  — 

"  Now  I  have  vowed  not  to  meddle  with  any  other  fire  than 
that  in  my  kitchen." 

"  Bravo  !  "  cried  Coconnas,  "  see  how  prudent  he  is  !  Now," 
added  the  Piedmontese,  "  we  left  in  your  stables  two  horses, 
and  in  your  rooms  two  portmanteaus." 

"  Oh,  the  devil ! "  replied  the  landlord,  scratching  his  ear. 

«  Well  ?  " 

"Two  horses,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,  in  your  stable." 

"  And  two  portmanteaus  ?  " 

"  Yes,  in  the  rooms  we  had." 

"  The  truth  is,  don't  you  see  —  you  thought  I  was  dead, 
didn't  you  ?  " 

"  Certainly  we  did." 

"  You  will  agree  that  as  you  were  mistaken,  I  also  might 
be." 

"  What  ?  In  believing  that  we  also  were  dead  ?  You  were 
perfectly  free." 


THE    GHOSTS.  191 

"  Now  that 's  it  You  see,  as  you  died  intestate,"  continued 
Maitre  La  Huriere. 

«  Go  on  "  — 

"  I  believed  something,  I  was  mistaken,  I  see  it  now  "  — 

"  Tell  us,  what  was  it  you  believed  ?  " 

"  I  believed  that  I  might  consider  myself  your  heir." 

"  Oho ! "  exclaimed  the  two  young  men. 

"  Nevertheless,  I  could  not  be  more  grateful  to  find  that  you 
are  alive,  gentlemen." 

"  So  you  sold  our  horses,  did  you  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  Alas  ! "  cried  La  Huriere. 

"  And  our  portmanteaus  ?  "  insisted  La  Mole. 

"  Oh  !  your  portmanteaus  ?  Oh,  no,"  cried  La  Huriere, 
"  only  what  was  in  them." 

"  Now  look  here,  La  Mole,"  persisted  Coconnas,  "  it  seems 
to  me  that  this  is  a  bold  rascal ;  suppose  we  disembowel  him  ! " 

This  threat  seemed  to  have  great  effect  on  Maitre  La  Hu- 
riere, who  stammered  out  these  words  : 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  I  rather  think  the  affair  can  be  arranged." 

"  Listen  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  I  am  the  one  who  has  the  greatest 
cause  of  complaint  against  yo\i." 

"  Certainly,  Monsieur  le  Comte,  for  I  recollect  that  in  a 
moment  of  madness  I  had  the  audacity  to  threaten  you." 

"  Yes,  with  a  bullet  which  flew  only  a  couple  of  inches  above 
my  head." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  am  certain  of  it." 

"  If  you  are  certain  of  it,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  La 
Huriere,  picking  up  his  stew-pan  with  an  innocent  air,  "  I  am 
too  thoroughly  at  your  service  to  give  you  the  lie." 

"  Well,"  said  La  Mole,  "  as  far  as  1  am  concerned  I  make 
no  demand  upon  you." 

"  What,  my  dear  gentleman  "  — 

"Except"' 

"  A'ie !  a'ie  !  "  groaned  La  Huriere. 

"Except  a  dinner  for  myself  and  my  friends  every  time  I 
find  myself  in  your  neighborhood." 

"  How  is  this  ?  "  exclaimed  La  Huriere  in  an  ecstasy.  "  I 
am  at  your  service,  my  dear  gentleman  ;  I  am  at  your  service." 

"  So  it  is  a  bargain,  is  it  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart  —  and  you,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas," 
continued  the  landlord,  "  do  you  agree  to  the  bargain  ?  " 


192  MARGUERITE    DE    VALO1S. 

11  Yes  ;  but,  like  my  friend,  I  must  add  one  small  condi- 
tion." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  That  you  restore  to  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  the  fifty  crowns 
which  I  owe  him,  and  which  I  put  into  your  keeping." 

"  To  me,  sir  ?     When  was  that  ?  " 

"  A  quarter  of  an  hour  before  you  sold  my  horse  and  my 
portmanteau." 

La  Huriere  showed  that  he  understood. 

"  Ah  !  I  remember,"  said  he  ;  and  he  stepped  toward  a 
cupboard  and  took  out  from  it,  one  after  the  other,  fifty 
crowns,  which  he  brought  to  La  Mole. 

"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  that  gentleman  ;  "  very  well.  Serve 
me  an  omelet.  The  fifty  crowns  are  for  Gregoire." 

"  Oh  ! "  cried  La  Huriere  ;  "  in  truth,  my  dear  gentlemen, 
you  are  genuine  ^rinces.  and  you  may  count  on  me  for  life  and 
for  death." 

"  If  that  is  so,"  said  Coconnas,  "  make  us  the  omelet  we  want, 
and  spare  neither  butter  nor  lard." 

Then  looking  at  the  clock, 

"  Faith,  you  are  right,  La  Mole,"  said  he,  "  we  still  have 
three  hours  to  wait,  and  we  may  as  well  be  here  as  anywhere 
else.  All  the  more  because,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  we  are 
already  half  way  to  the  Pont  Saint  Michel." 

And  the  two  young  men  went  and  sat  down  at  table  in  the 
very  same  room  and  at  the  very  same  place  which  they  had 
occupied  during  that  memorable  evening  of  the  twenty-sixth  of 
August,  1572,  when  Coconnas  had  proposed  to  La  Mole  to  play 
each  against  the  other  the  first  mistress  which  they  should 
have  ! 

Let  us  grant  for  the  honor  of  the  morality  of  our  two  young 
men  that  neither  of  them  this  evening  had  the  least  idea  of 
making  such  a  proposition  to  his  companion. 


THE    ABODE    OF   MA?TRE    REN&.  193 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE  ABODE  OF  MAfTBE  RENE,  PERFUMER  TO  THE  QUEEN 
MOTHER. 

AT  the  period  of  this  history  there  existed  in  Paris,  for  pass- 
ing from  one  part  of  the  city  to  another,  but  five  bridges, 
some  of  stone  and  the  others  of  wood,  and  they  all  led  to  the 
Cite  ;  there  were  le  Pont  des  Meuniers,  le  Pont  au  Change,  le 
Pont  Notre-Dame,  le  Petit  Pont,  and  le  Pont  Saint  Michel. 

In  other  places  when  there  was  need  of  crossing  the  river 
there  were  ferries. 

These  five  bridges  were  loaded  with  houses  like  the  Pont 
Vecchio  at  Florence  at  the  present  time.  Of  these  five  bridges, 
each  of  which  has  its  history,  we  shall  now  speak  more  partic- 
ularly of  the  Pont  Saint  Michel. 

The  Pont  Saint  Michel  had  been  built  of  stone  in  1373  ;  in 
spite  of  its  apparent  solidity,  a  freshet  in  the  Seine  undermined 
a  part  of  it  on  the  thirty -first  of  January,  1408  ;  in.  1416  it  had 
been  rebuilt  of  wood ;  but  during  the  night  of  December  16, 
1547,  it  was  again  carried  away ;  about  1550,  in  other  words 
twenty -two  years  anterior  to  the  epoch  which  we  have  reached, 
it  was  again  built  of  wood,  and  though  it  needed  repairs  it  was 
regarded  as  solid  enough. 

In  the  midst  of  the  houses  which  bordered  the  line  of  the 
bridge,  facing  the  small  islet  on  which  the  Templers  had  been 
burnt,  and  where  at  the  present  time  the  platform  of  the  Pont 
Neuf  rests,  stood  a  wooden  panelled  house  over  which  a  large 
roof  impended  like  the  lid  of  an  immense  eye.  At  the  only 
window,  which  opened  on  the  first  story,  over  the  window  and 
door  of  the  ground  floor,  hermetically  sealed,  shone  a  reddish 
light,  which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  passers-by  to  the  low, 
wide  faqade,  painted  blue,  with  rich  gold  mouldings.  A  kind  of 
frieze  separating  the  ground  floor  from  the  first  floor  represented 
groups  of  devils  in  the  most  grotesque  postures  imaginable ; 
and  a  wide  scroll  painted  blue  like  the  faqade  ran  between 
the  frieze  and  the  window,  with  this  inscription :  "  RENE, 
FLORENTIN,  PERFUMER  DE  SA  MAJESTE  LA  REINE  MERE." 

The  door  of  this  shop  was,  as  we  have  said,  well  bolted ;  but 
it  was  defended  from  nocturnal  attacks  better  than  by  bolts 
by  its  occupant's  reputation,  so  redoubtable  that  the  passengers 


194  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

over  the  bridge  usually  described  a  curve  which  took  them  to 
the  opposite  row  of  houses,  as  if  they  feared  the  very  smell  of 
the  perfumes  that  might  exhale  through  the  walls. 

More  than  this,  the  right  and  left  hand  neighbors,  doubt- 
less fearing  that  they  might  be  compromised  by  the  proxim- 
ity, had,  since  Maitre  Rene's  occupancy  of  the  house,  taken  their 
departure  one  after  the  other  so  that  the  two  houses  next  to 
Rene's  were  left  empty  and  closed.  Yet,  in  spite  of  this  soli- 
tude and  desertedness,  belated  passers-by  had  frequently  seen, 
glittering  through  the  crevices  of  the  shutters  of  these  empty 
habitations,  strange  rays  of  light,  and  had  felt  certain  they 
heard  strange  noises  like  groans,  which  proved  that  some 
beings  frequented  these  abodes,  although  they  did  not  know  if 
they  belonged  to  this  world  or  the  other. 

The  result  was  that  the  tenants  of  the  two  buildings  contigu- 
ous to  the  two  empty  houses  from  time  to  time  queried  whether 
it  would  not  be  wise  in  them  to  do  as  their  neighbors  had  done. 

It  was,  doubtless,  owing  to  the  privilege  which  the  dread  of 
him,  widely  circulated,  had  procured  for  him,  that  Maitre 
Rene  had  ventured  to  keep  up  a  light  after  the  prescribed 
hour.  No  round  or  guard,  moreover,  would  have  dared  to 
molest  him,  a  man  doubly  dear  to  her  majesty  as  her  fellow- 
countryman  and  perfumer. 

As  we  suppose  that  the  reader,  panoplied  by  the  philosophi- 
cal wisdom  of  this  century,  no  longer  believes  in  magic  or  magi- 
cians, we  will  invite  him  to  accompany  us  into  this  dwelling 
which,  at  that  epoch  of  superstitious  faith,  shed  around  it  such 
a  profound  terror. 

The  shop  on  the  ground  floor  is  dark  and  deserted  after 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  —  the  hour  at  which  it  closes, 
not  to  open  again  until  next  morning ;  there  it  is  that  the  daily 
sale  of  perfumery,  unguents,  and  cosmetics  of  all  kinds,  such  as 
a  skilful  chemist  makes,  takes  place.  Two  apprentices  aid 
him  in  the  retail  business,  but  do  not  sleep  in  the  house ;  they 
lodge  in  the  Rue  de  la  Colandre. 

In  the  evening  they  take  their  departure  an  instant  before 
the  shop  closes ;  in  the  morning  they  wait  at  the  door  until  it 
opens. 

This  ground-floor  shop  is  therefore  dark  and  deserted,  as . 
we  have  said. 

In  this  shop,  which  is  large  and  deep,  there  are  two  doors, 
each  leading  to  a  staircase.  One  of  these  staircases  is  in  the 


THE    ABODE    OF   MAITRE    RENE.  195 

wall  itself  and  is  lateral,  and  the  other  is  exterior  and  visible 
from  the  quay  now  called  the  Quai  des  Augustins,  and  from 
the  riverbank,  now  called  the  Quai  des  Orfevres. 

Both  lead  to  the  principal  room  on  the  first  floor.  This  room 
is  of  the  same  size  as  the  ground  floor,  except  that  it  is  divided 
into  two  compartments  by  tapestry  suspended  in  the  centre 
and  parallel  to  the  bridge.  At  the  end  of  the  first  compart- 
ment opens  the  door  leading  to  the  exterior  staircase.  On  the 
side  face  of  the  second  opens  the  door  of  the  secret  staircase. 
This  door  is  invisible,  being  concealed  by  a  large  carved  cup- 
board fastened  to  it  by  iron  cramps,  and  moving  with  it  when 
pushed  open.  Catharine  alone,  besides  Rene,  knows  the  secret 
of  this  door,  and  by  it  she  comes  and  departs ;  and  with  eye 
or  ear  placed  against  the  cupboard,  in  which  are  several  small 
holes,  she  sees  and  hears  all  that  occurs  in  the  chamber. 

Two  other  doors,  visible  to  all  eyes,  present  themselves  at 
the  sides  of  the  second  compartment.  One  opens  into  a  small 
chamber  lighted  from  the  roof,  and  having  nothing  in  it  but 
a  large  stove,  some  alembecs,  retorts,  and  crucibles  :  it  is  the  al- 
chemist's laboratory  ;  the  other  opens  into  a  cell  more  singular 
than  the  rest  of  the  apartment,  for  it  is  not  lighted  at  all  - 
has  neither  carpet  nor  furniture,  but  only  a  kind  of  stone  altar. 

The  floor  slopes  from  the  centre  to  the  ends,  and  from  the 
ends  to  the  base  of  the  wall  is  a  kind  of  gutter  ending  in  a 
funnel,  through  whose  orifice  may  be  seen  the  dark  waters  of 
the  Seine.  On  nails  driven  into  the  walls  are  hung  singular- 
shaped  instruments,  all  keen  or  pointed  with  points  as  fine  as 
a  needle  and  edges  as  sharp  as  a  razor ;  some  shine  like 
mirrors  ;  others,  on  the  contrary,  are  of  a  dull  gray  or  murky 
blue. 

In  a  corner  are  two  black  fowls  struggling  with  each  other 
and  tied  together  by  the  claws.  This  is  the  soothsayer's  sanc- 
tuary. 

Let  us  return  to  the  middle  chamber,  that  with  two  com- 
partments. 

Here  the  common  herd  of  clients  are  introduced ;  here 
ibises  from  Egypt ;  mummies,  with  gilded  bands ;  the  crocodile, 
yawning  from  the  ceiling ;  death's-heads,  with  eyeless  sockets 
and  loose  teeth  ;  and  old  musty  volumes,  torn  and  rat-eaten, 
are  presented  to  the  visitor's  eye  in  pellmell  confusion. 
Behind  the  curtain  are  phials,  singularly  shaped  boxes,  and 
weird-looking  vases ;  all  this  is  lighted  up  by  two  small  silver 


196  MARGUERITE    DE     V ALOIS. 

lamps  exactly  alike,  perhaps  stolen  from  some  altar  of  Santa 
Maria  Novella  or  the  Church  Dei  Lervi  of  Florence;  these, 
supplied  with  perfumed  oil,  cast  their  yellow  flames  around 
the  sombre  vault  from  which  each  hangs  by  three  blackened 
chains. 

Rene,  alone,  his  arms  crossed,  is  pacing  up  and  down  the 
second  compartment  with  long  strides,  and  shaking  his  head. 
After  a  lengthened  and  painful  musing  he  causes  before  an 
hour-glass : 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  says  he,  "  I  forget  to  turn  it ;  and  perhaps  the 
sand  has  all  run  through  a  long  time  ago." 

Then,  looking  at  the  moon  as  it  struggled  through  a  heavy 
black  cloud  which  seemed  to  hang  over  Notre-Dame,  he  said  : 
"  It  is  nine  o'clock.  If  she  comes,  she  will  come,  as  usual,  in 
an  hour  or  an  hour  and  a  half;  then  there  will  be  time  for  all." 

At  this  moment  a  noise  was  heard  on  the  bridge.  Rene 
applied  his  ear  to  the  orifice  of  a  long  tube,  the  other  end  of 
which  reached  down  the  street,  terminating  in  a  heraldic  viper- 
head. 

"No,"  he  said,  "it  is  neither  she  nor  they ;  it  is  men's  foot- 
steps, and  they  stop  at  my  door — they  are  coming  here." 

And  three  sharp  knocks  were  heard  at  the  door. 

Rene  hurried  downstairs  and  put  his  ear  against  the  door, 
without  opening  it. 

The  three  sharp  blows  were  repeated. 

"  Who  's  there  ?  "  asked  Maitre  Rene. 

"  Must  we  mention  our  names  ?  "  inquired  a  voice. 

"  It  is  indispensable,"  replied  Rene. 

"Well,  then,  I  am  the  Comte  Annibal  de  Coconnas,"  said  the 
same  voice. 

"  And  I  am  the  Comte  Lerac  de  la  Mole,"  said  another 
voice,  which  had  not  as  yet  been  heard. 

"  Wait,  wait,  gentlemen,  I  am  at  your  service." 

And  at  the  same  moment  Rene  drew  the  bolts  and,  lifting 
the  bars,  opened  the  door  to  the  two  young  men  locking  it 
after  him.  Then,  conducting  them  by  the  exterior  staircase,  he 
introduced  them  into  the  second  compartment. 

La  Mole,  as  he  entered,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  under  his 
cloak.  He  was  pale,  and  his  hand  trembled  without  his  being 
able  to  repress  this  symptom  of  weakness. 

Coconnas  looked  at  everything,  one  after  the  other;  and 
seeing  the  door  of  the  cell,  was  about  to  open  it. 


THE    ABODE    OF   MAITRE    RENti.  197 

"  Allow  me  to  observe,  my  dear  young  gentleman,"  said 
Rene",  in  his  deep  voice,  and  placing  his  hand  on  Coconnas's, 
"those  that  do  me  the  honor  of  a  visit  have  access  only  to 
this  part  of  the  room." 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  replied  Coconnas ;  "  besides,  I  feel  like 
sitting  down."  And  he  took  a  seat. 

There  was  unbroken  silence  for  a  moment  —  Maitre  Rene 
was  waiting  for  one  or  the  other  of  the  young  men  to  open 
the  conversation. 

"  Maitre  Rene,"  at  length  said  Coconnas,  "  you  are  a  skilful 
man,  and  I  pray  you  tell  me  if  I  shall  always  remain  a 
sufferer  from  my  wound  —  that  is,  always  experience  this  short- 
ness of  breath,  which  prevents  me  from  riding  on  horseback, 
using  my  sword,  and  eating  larded  omelettes  ?  " 

Rene  put  his  ear  to  Coconnas's  chest  and  listened  attentively 
to  the  play  of  the  lungs. 

"  No,  Monsieur  le  Comte,"  he  replied,  "  you  will  get  well." 

"Really?" 

"  Yes,  I  assure  you." 

"  Well,  you  fill  me  with  delight." 

There  was  silence  once  more. 

"  Is  there  nothing  else  you  would  desire  to  know,  M.  le 
Comte  ?  " 

"  I  wish  to  know,"  said  Coconnas,  "  if  I  am  really  in  love  ?  " 

"  You  are,"  replied  Rene. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Because  you  asked  the  question." 

"  By  Heaven  !  you  are  right.     But  with  whom  ?  " 

"  With  her  who  now,  on  every  occasion,  uses  the  oath  you 
have  just  uttered." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Coconnas,  amazed ;  "  Maitre  Rene,  you  are  a 
clever  man  !  Now,  La  Mole,  it  is  your  turn." 

La  Mole  reddened,  and  seemed  embarrassed. 

"  I,  Monseiur  Rene,"  he  stammered,  and  speaking  more 
firmly  as  he  proceeded,  "  do  not  care  to  ask  you  if  I  am  in 
love,  for  I  know  that  I  am,  and  I  do  not  hide  it  from  myself ; 
but  tell  me,  shall  I  be  beloved  in  return  ?  for,  in  truth,  all 
that  at  first  seemed  propitious  now  turns  against  me." 

"  Perchance  you  have  not  done  all  you  should  do." 

"  What  is  there  to  do,  sir,  but  to  testify,  by  one's  respect  and 
devotion  to  the  lady  of  one's  thoughts,  that  she  is  really  and 
profoundly  beloved  ?  " 


198  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  You  know,"  replied  Rene,  "  that  these  demonstrations  are 
frequently  very  meaningless." 

"  Then  must  I  despair  ?  " 

"  By  no  means ;  we  must  have  recourse  to  science.  In 
human  nature  there  are  antipathies  to  be  overcome  —  sympa- 
thies which  may  be  forced.  Iron  is  not  the  lodestone  ;  but  by 
rubbing  it  with  a  lodestone  we  make  it,  in  its  turn,  attract  iron." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  muttered  La  Mole ;  "  but  I  have  an  objection  to 
all  these  sorceries." 

"  Ah,  then,  if  you  have  any  such  objections,  you  should  not 
come  here,"  answered  Rene. 

"  Come,  come,  this  is  child's  play ! "  interposed  Coconnas. 
"  Maitre  Rene,  can  you  show  me  the  devil  ?  " 

"  No,  Monsieur  le  Comte." 

"  I  'm  sorry  for  that ;  for  I  had  a  word  or  two  to  say  to  him, 
and  it  might  have  encouraged  La  Mole." 

"  Well,  then,  let  it  be  so,"  said  La  Mole,  "  let  us  go  to  the 
point  at  once.  I  have  been  told  of  figures  modelled  in  wax  to 
look  like  the  beloved  object.  Is  that  one  way  ?  " 

"  An  infallible  one." 

"  And  there  is  nothing  in  the  experiment  likely  to  affect  the 
life  or  health  of  the  person  beloved  ?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  Let  us  try,  then." 

"  Shall  I  make  first  trial  ?  "  said  Coconnas. 

"No,"  said  La  Mole,  " since  I  have  begun,  I  will  go  through 
to  the  end." 

"  Is  your  desire  mighty,  ardent,  imperious  to  know  what  the 
obstacle  is,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  exclaimed  La  Mole,  "  I  am  dying  with  anxiety." 

At  this  moment  some  one  rapped  lightly  at  the  street  door 
— so  lightly  that  no  one  but  Maitre  Rene  heard  the  noise, 
doubtless  because  he  had  been  expecting  it. 

Without  any  hesitation  he  went  to  the  speaking-tube  and 
put  his  ear  to  the  mouthpiece,  at  the  same  time  asking  La 
Mole  several  idle  questions.  Then  he  added,  suddenly : 

"Now  put  all  your  energy  into  your  wish,  and  call  the  per- 
son whom  you  love." 

La  Mole  knelt,  as  if  about  to  address  a  divinity ;  and  Rend, 
going  into  the  other  compartment,  went  out  noiselessly  by  the 
exterior  staircase,  and  an  instant  afterward  light  steps  trod 
the  floor  of  his  shop. 


THE    ABODE    OF   MA^TRE    R£N£.  199 

When  La  Mole  rose  he  beheld  before  him  Maitre  Rene. 
The  Florentine  held  in  his  hand  a  small  wax  .figure,  very  in- 
differently modelled  ;  it  wore  a  crown  and  mantle. 

"  Do  you  desire  to  be  always  beloved  by  your  royal  mis- 
tress ?  "  demanded  the  perfumer. 

"  Yes,  even  if  it  cost  me  my  life  —  even  if  my  soul  should  be 
the  sacrifice ! "  replied  La  Mole. 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  Florentine,  taking  with  the  ends  of 
his  fingers  some  drops  of  water  from  a  ewer  and  sprinkling 
them  over  the  figure,  at  the  same  time  muttering  certain  Latin 
words. 

La  Mole  shuddered,  believing  that  some  sacrilege  was  com- 
mitted. 

"  What  are  you  doing  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  am  christening  this  figure  with  the  name  of  Marguerite." 

«  What  for  ?  " 

"  To  establish  a  sympathy." 

La  Mole  opened  his  mouth  to  prevent  his  going  any  further, 
but  a  mocking  look  from  Coconnas  stopped  him. 

Rene,  who  had  noticed  the  impulse,  waited.  "  Your  absolute 
and  undivided  will  is  necessary,"  he  said. 

"  Go  on,"  said  La  Mole. 

Rene  wrote  on  a  small  strip  of  red  paper  some  cabalistic 
characters,  put  it  into  the  eye  of  a  steel  needle,  and  with  the 
needle  pierced  the  small  wax  model  in  the  heart. 

Strange  to  say,  at  the  orifice  of  the  wound  appeared  a  small 
drop  of  blood ;  then  he  set  fire  to  the  paper. 

The  heat  of  the  needle  melted  the  wax  around  it  and  dried 
up  the  spot  of  blood. 

"  Thus,"  said  Rene,  "  by  the  power  of  sympathy,  your  love 
shall  pierce  and  burn  the  heart  of  the  woman  whom  you  love." 

Coconnas,  true  to  his  repute  as  a  bold  thinker,  laughed  in  his 
mustache,  and  in  a  low  tone  jested  ;  but  La  Mole,  desperately 
in  love  and  full  of  superstition,  felt  a  cold  perspiration  start 
from  the  roots  of  his  hair. 

"  And  now,"  continued  Rene,  "  press  your  lips  to  the  lips  of 
the  figure,  and  say :  '  Marguerite,  I  love  thee !  Come,  Mar- 
guerite ! ' ' 

La  Mole  obeyed. 

At  this  moment  the  door  of  the  second  chamber  was  heard 
to  open,  and  light  steps  approached.  Coconnas,  curious  and 
incredulous,  drew  his  poniard,  and  fearing  that  if  he  raised 


200  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

the  tapestry  Rene  would  repeat  what  he  said  about  the  door, 
he  cut  a  hole  in  the  thick  curtain,  and  applying  his  eye  to  the 
hole,  uttered  a  cry  of  astonishment,  to  which  two  women's  voices 
responded. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  exclaimed  La  Mole,  nearly  dropping  the 
waxen  figure,  which  Rene  caught  from  his  hands. 

"  Why,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  and 
Madame  Marguerite  are  there  ! " 

"  There,  now,  you  unbelievers  !  "  replied  Rene,  with  an  aus- 
tere smile ;  "  do  you  still  doubt  the  force  of  sympathy  ?  " 

La  Mole  was  petrified  on  seeing  the  queen ;  Coconnas  was 
amazed  at  beholding  Madame  de  Nevers.  One  believed  that 
Rene's  sorceries  had  evoked  the  phantom  Marguerite ;  the  other, 
seeing  the  door  half  open,  by  which  the  lovely  phantoms  had 
entered,  gave  at  once  a  worldly  and  substantial  explanation  to 
the  mystery. 

While  La  Mole  was  crossing  himself  and  sighing  enough  to 
split  a  rock,  Coconnas,  who  had  taken  time  to  indulge  in  philo- 
sophical questionings  and  to  drive  away  the  foul  fiend  with  the 
aid  of  that  holy  water  sprinkler  called  scepticism,  having 
observed,  through  the  hole  in  the  curtain,  the  astonishment 
shown  by  Madame  de  Nevers  and  Marguerite's  somewhat 
caustic  smile,  judged  the  moment  to  be  decisive,  and  under- 
standing that  a  man  may  say  in  behalf  of  a  friend  what  he 
cannot  say  for  himself,  instead  of  going  to  Madame  de  Nevers, 
went  straight  to  Marguerite,  and  bending  his  knee,  after  the 
fashion  of  the  great  Artaxerxes  as  represented  in  the  farces  of 
the  day,  cried,  in  a  voice  to  which  the  whistling  of  his  wound 
added  a  peculiar  accent  not  without  some  power : 

"  Madame,  this  very  moment,  at  the  demand  of  my  friend 
the  Comte  de  la  Mole,  Maitre  Rene  was  evoking  your  spirit ; 
and  to  my  great  astonishment,  your  spirit  is  accompanied  with 
a  body  most  dear  to  me,  and  which  I  recommend  to  my  friend. 
Shade  of  her  majesty  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  will  you  desire  the 
body  of  your  companion  to  come  to  the  other  side  of  the  cur- 
tain ?  » 

Marguerite  began  to  laugh,  and  made  a  sign  to  Henriette, 
who  passed  to  the  other  side  of  the  curtain. 

"  La  Mole,  my  friend,"  continued  Coconnas,  "  be  as  eloquent 
as  Demosthenes,  as  Cicero,  as  the  Chancellor  de  1'Hopital ! 
and  be  assured  that  my  life  will  be  imperilled  if  you  do  not  per- 


\ 

THE    ABODE    OF   M AIT  RE    RENE.  201 

suade  the  body  of  Madame  de  Nevers  that  I  am  her  most  de- 
voted, most  obedient,  and  most  faithful  servant." 

"  But "  —  stammered  La  Mole. 

"  Do  as  I  say !  And  you,  Maitre  Rene,  watch  that  we  are 
not  interrupted." 

Rene  did  as  Coconnas  asked. 

"  By  Heaven,  monsieur,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  are  a  clever 
man.  I  am  listening  to  you.  What  have  you  to  say  ?  " 

"  I  have  to  say  to  you,  madame,  that  the  shadow  of  my  friend 
—  for  he  is  a  shadow,  and  he  proves  it  by  not  uttering  a  single 
little  word  —  I  say,  that  this  shadow  begs  me  to  use  the  faculty 
which  material  bodies  possess  of  speaking  so  as  to  be  under- 
stood, and  to  say  to  you :  Lovely  shadow,  the  gentleman  thus 
disembodied  has  lost  his  whole  body  and  all  his  breath  by  the 
cruelty  of  your  eyes.  If  this  were  really  you,  I  should  ask 
Maitre  Rene  to  plunge  me  in  some  sulphurous  pit  rather  than 
use  such  language  to  the  daughter  of  King  Henry  II.,  to  the 
sister  of  King  Charles  IX.,  to  the  wife  of  the  King  of  Navarre. 
But  shades  are  freed  from  all  earthly  pride  and  they  are  never 
angry  when  men  love  them.  ,  Therefore,  pray  your  body, 
madame,  to  love  the  soul  of  this  poor  La  Mole  a  little  —  a  soul 
in  trouble,  if  ever  there  was  one;  a  soul  first  persecuted  by 
friendship,  which  three  times  thrust  into  him  several  inches 
of  cold  steel ;  a  soul  burnt  by  the  fire  of  your  eyes  —  fire  a 
thousand  times  more  consuming  than  all  the  flames  of  hell. 
So  have  pity  on  this  poor  soul !  Love  a  little  what  was  the 
handsome  La  Mole ;  and  if  you  no  longer  possess  speech,  ah  ! 
bestow  a  gesture,  bestow  a  smile  upon  him.  My  friend's  soul 
is  a  very  intelligent  soul,  and  will  comprehend  everything. 
Be  kind  to  him,  then;  or,  by  Heaven!  I  will  run  my  sword 
through  Rene's  body  in  order  that,  by  virtue  of  the  power 
which  he  possesses  over  spirits,  he  may  force  yours,  which  he 
has  already  so  opportunely  evoked,  to  do  all  a  shade  so  ami- 
ably disposed  as  yours  appears  to  be  should  do." 

At  this  burst  of  eloquence  delivered  by  Coconnas  as  he  stood 
in  front  of  the  queen  like  JEneas  descending  into  Hades, 
Marguerite  could  not  refrain  from  a  hearty  burst  of  laughter, 
yet,  preserving  the  silence  which  on  such  an  occasion  may  be 
the  supposed  characteristic  of  a  royal  shade,  she  presented  her 
hand  to  Coconnas.  He  took  it  daintily  in  his,  and,  calling  to 
La  Mole,  said : 

"  Shade  of  my  friend,  come  hither  instantly  !  " 


202  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

La  Mole,  amazed,  overcome,  silently  obeyed. 

"  'T  is  well,"  said  Coconnas,  taking  him  by  the  back  of  the 
head ;  "  and  now  bring  the  shadow  of  your  handsome  brown 
countenance  into  contact  with  the  white  and  vaporous  hand 
before  you." 

And  Coconnas,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  raised  the 
delicate  hand  to  La  Mole's  lips,  and  kept  them  for  a  moment 
respectfully  united,  without  the  hand  seeking  to  withdraw  it- 
self from  the  gentle  pressure. 

Marguerite  had  not  ceased  to  smile,  but  Madame  de  Nevers 
did  not  smile  at  all ;  she  was  still  trembling  at  the  unexpected 
appearance  of  the  two  gentlemen.  She  was  conscious  that  her 
awkwardness  was  increased  by  all  the  fever  of  a  growing  jeal- 
ousy, for  it  seemed  to  her  that  Coconnas  ought  not  thus  to  for- 
get her  affairs  for  those  of  others. 

La  Mole  saw  her  eyebrows  contracted,  detected  the  flashing 
threat  of  her  eyes,  and  in  spite  of  the  intoxicating  fever  to 
which  his  delight  was  insensibly  urging  him  to  succumb  he 
realized  the  danger  which  his  friend  was  running  and  perceived 
what  he  should  try  to  do  to  rescue  him. 

So  rising  and  leaving  Marguerite's  hand  in  Coconnas's,  he 
grasped  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers's,  and  bending  his  knee  he 
said  : 

"  0  loveliest  —  0  most  adorable  of  women  —  I  speak  of 
living  women,  and  not  of  shades  ! "  and  he  turned  a  look  and 
a  smile  to  Marguerite ;  "  allow  a  soul  released  from  its  mortal 
envelope  to  repair  the  absence  of  a  body  fully  absorbed  by 
material  friendship.  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  whom  you  see,  is 
only  a  man  —  a  man  of  bold  and  hardy  frame,  of  flesh  hand- 
some to  gaze  upon  perchance,  but  perishable,  like  all  flesh. 
Omnis  caro  fenum.  Although  this  gentleman  keeps  on  from 
morning  to  night  pouring  into  my  ears  the  most  touching 
litanies  about  you,  though  you  have  seen  him  distribute  as 
heavy  blows  as  were  ever  seen  in  wide  France  —  this  champion, 
so  full  of  eloquence  in  presence  of  a  spirit,  dares  not  address  a 
woman.  That  is  why  he  has  addressed  the  shade  of  the 
queen,  charging  me  to  speak  to  your  lovely  body,  and  to  tell 
you  that  he  lays  at  your  feet  his  soul  and  heart ;  that  he  en- 
treats from  your  divine  eyes  a  look  in  pity,  from  your  rosy 
ringers  a  beckoning  sign,  and  from  your  musical  and  heavenly 
voice  those  words  which  men  can  never  forget ;  if  not,  he  has 
supplicated  another  thing,  and  that  is,  in  case  he  should  not 


THE    ABODE    OF   MAfTRE    RENE.  203 

soften  you,  you  will  run  my  sword  —  which  is  a  real  blade,  for 
swords  have  no  shadows  except  in  the  sunshine  —  run  my 
sword  right  through  his  body  for  the  second  time,  for  he  can 
live  no  longer  if  you  do  not  authorize  him  to  live  exclusively 
for  you."  All  the  verve  and  comical  exaggeration  which 
Coconnas  had  put  into  his  speech  found  their  counterpart  in 
the  tenderness,  the  intoxicating  vigor,  and  the  mock  humility 
which  La  Mole  introduced  into  his  supplication. 

Henriette's  eyes  turned  from  La  Mole,  to  whom  she  had 
listened  till  he  ended,  and  rested  on  Coconnas,  to  see  if  the 
expression  of  that  gentleman's  countenance  harmonized  with 
his  friend's  ardent  address.  It  seemed  that  she  was  satisfied, 
for  blushing,  breathless,  conquered,  she  said  to  Coconnas,  with 
a  smile  which  disclosed  a  double  row  of  pearls  enclosed  in 
coral : 

"  Is  this  true  ?  " 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  fascinated  by  her  look, 
"it  is  true,  indeed.  Oh,  yes,  madaine,  it  is  true  —  true  on 
your  life  —  true  on  my  death !  " 

"  Come  with  me,  then,"  said  Henriette,  extending  to  him 
her  hand,  while  her  eyes  proclaimed  the  feelings  of  her  heart. 

Coconnas  flung  his  velvet  cap  into  the  air  and  with  one 
stride  was  at  the  young  woman's  side,  while  La  Mole,  recalled 
to  Marguerite  by  a  gesture,  executed  at  the  same  time  an 
amorous  chassez  with  his  friend. 

B-e'ne  appeared  at  the  door  in  the  background. 

"  Silence  ! "  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  which  at  once  damped 
all  the  ardor  of  the  lovers ;  "  silence !  " 

And  they  heard  in  the  solid  wall  the  sound  of  a  key  in  a 
lock,  and  of  a  door  grating  on  its  hinges. 

"  But,"  said  Marguerite,  haughtily,  "  I  should  think  that  no 
one  has  the  right  to  enter  whilst  we  are  here ! " 

"  Not  even  the  queen  mother  ?  "  whispered  Rene"  in  her  ear. 

Marguerite  instantly  rushed  out  by  the  exterior  staircase, 
leading  La  Mole  after  her;  Henriette  and  Coconnas  almost 
arm-in-arm  followed  them,  all  four  taking  flight,  as  fly  at  the 
first  noise  the  birds  seen  engaged  in  loving  parley  on  the 
boughs  of  a  flowering  shrub. 


204  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOfS. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE    BLACK    HENS. 

IT  was  time  the  two  couples  disappeared !  Catharine  was 
putting  the  key  in  the  lock  of  the  second  door  just  as  Cocon- 
nas  and  Madame  de  Nevers  stepped  out  of  the  house  by  the 
lower  entrance,  and  Catharine  as  she  entered  could  hear  the 
steps  of  the  fugitives  on  the  stairs. 

She  cast  a  searching  glance  around,  and  then  fixing  her 
suspicious  eyes  on  Rene,  who  stood  motionless,  bowing  before 
her,  said : 

«  Who  was  that  ?  " 

"  Some  lovers,  who  are  satisfied  with  the  assurance  I  gave 
them  that  they  are  really  in  love." 

"  Never  mind  them,"  said  Catharine,  shrugging  her  shoul- 
ders ;  "  is  there  no  one  else  here  ?  " 

"  No  one  but  your  majesty  and  myself." 

"  Have  you  done  what  I  ordered  you  ?  " 

"  About  the  two  black  hens  ?  " 

«  Yes  !  " 

"  They  are  ready,  madame." 

"  Ah,"  muttered  Catharine,  "  if  you  were  a  Jew ! " 

"  Why  a  Jew,  madame  ?  " 

"  Because  you  could  then  read  the  precious  treatises  which 
the  Hebrews  have  written  about  sacrifices.  I  have  had  one  of 
them  translated,  and  I  found  that  the  Hebrews  did  not  look 
for  omens  in  the  heart  or  liver  as  the  Romans  did,  but  in  the 
configuration  of  the  brain,  and  in  the  shape  of  the  letters 
traced  there  by  the  all-powerful  hand  of  destiny." 

"  Yes,  madame  ;  so  I  have  heard  from  an  old  rabbi." 

"  There  are,"  said  Catharine,  "  characters  thus  marked  that 
reveal  all  the  future.  Only  the  Chaldean  seers  recommend  "  — 

"  Recommend  —  what  ?  "  asked  Rene,  seeing  the  queen  hesi- 
tate. 

"  That  the  experiment  shall  be  tried  on  the  human  brain,  as 
more  developed  and  more  nearly  sympathizing  with  the  wishes 
of  the  consulter." 

"  Alas  ! "  said  Rene,  "your  majesty  knows  it  is  impossible." 

"  Difficult,  at  least,"  said  Catharine  ;  "  if  we  had  known  this 
at  Saint  Bartholomew's,  what  a  rich  harvest  we  might  have 


THE    BLACK    HENS.  205 

had  —  The  first  convict  —  but  I  will  think  of  it.  Meantime, 
let  us  do  what  we  can.  Is  the  chamber  of  sacrifice  prepared  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Let  us  go  there." 

Rene  lighted  a  taper  made  of  strange  substances,  the  odor  of 
which,  both  insidious  and  penetrating  as  well  as  nauseating 
and  stupefying,  betokened  the  introduction  of  many  elements ; 
holding  this  taper  up,  he  preceded  Catharine  into  the  cell. 

Catharine  selected  from  amongst  the  sacrificial  instruments  a 
knife  of  blue  steel,  while  Rene  took  up  one  of  the  two  fowls  that 
were  huddling  in  one  corner,  with  anxious,  golden  eyes. 

"  How  shall  we  proceed  ?  " 

"  We  will  examine  the  liver  of  the  one  and  the  brain  of  the 
other.  If  these  two  experiments  lead  to  the  same  result  we 
must  be  convinced,  especially  if  these  results  coincide  with 
those  we  got  before." 

"  Which  shall  we  begin  with  ?  " 

"  With  the  liver." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Rene,  and  he  fastened  the  bird  down  to 
two  rings  attached  to  the  little  altar,  so  that  the  creature, 
turned  on  its  back,  could  only  struggle,  without  stirring  from 
the  spot. 

Catharine  opened  its  breast  with  a  single  stroke  of  her 
knife  ;  the  fowl  uttered  three  cries,  and,  after  some  convulsions, 
expired. 

"  Always  three  cries !  "  said  Catharine ;  "  three  signs  of 
death." 

She  then  opened  the  body. 

"  And  the  liver  inclining  to  the  left,  always  to  the  left,  —  a 
triple  death,  followed  by  a  downfall.  'T  is  terrible,  Rene." 

"  We  must  see,  madame,  whether  the  presages  from  the 
second  will  correspond  with  those  of  the  first." 

Rene  unfastened  the  body  of  the  fowl  from  the  altar  and 
tossed  it  into  a  corner ;  then  he  went  to  the  other,  which,  fore- 
seeing what  its  fate  would  be  by  its  companion's,  tried  to  escape 
by  running  round  the  cell,  and  finding  itself  pent  up  in  a 
corner  flew  over  Rene's  head,  and  in  its  flight  extinguished  the 
magic  taper  Catharine  held. 

"  You  see,  Rene,  thus  shall  our  race  be  extinguished,"  said 
the  queen ;  "  death  shall  breathe  upon  it,  and  destroy  it  from 
the  face  of  the  earth !  Yet  three  sons  !  three  sons !  "  she  mur- 
mured, sorrowfully. 


206  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Rene  took  from  her  the  extinguished  taper,  and  went  into 
the  adjoining  room  to  relight  it. 

On  his  return  he  saw  the  hen  hiding  its  head  in  the  tunnel. 

"This  time,"  said  Catharine,  "I  will  prevent  the  cries,  for 
I  will  cut  off  the  head  at  once." 

And  accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  hen  was  bound,  Catharine, 
as  she  had  said,  severed  the  head  at  a  single  blow ;  but  in  the 
last  agony  the  beak  opened  three  times,  and  then  closed  for- 
ever. 

"  Do  you  see,"  said  Catharine,  terrified,  "  instead  of  three 
cries,  three  sighs  ?  Always  three !  —  they  will  all  three  die. 
All  these  spirits  before  they  depart  count  and  call  three.  Let 
us  now  see  the  prognostications  in  the  head." 

She  severed  the  bloodless  comb  from  the  head,  carefully 
opened  the  skull,  and  laying  bare  the  lobes  of  the  brain 
endeavored  to  trace  a  letter  formed  in  the  bloody  sinuosities 
made  by  the  division  of  the  central  pulp. 

"  Always  so  ! "  cried  she,  clasping  her  hands  ;  "  and  this 
time  clearer  than  ever ;  see  here  ! " 

Rene  approached. 

"  What  is  the  letter  ?  "  asked  Catharine. 

"  An  H,"  replied  Rene. 

"  How  many  times  repeated  ?  " 

Rene  counted. 

"  Four,"  said  he. 

"  Ay,  ay !  I  see  it !  that  is  to  say,  HENRY  IV.  Oh,"  she 
cried,  flinging  the  knife  from  her,  "  I  am  accursed  in  my 
posterity ! " 

She  was  terrible,  that  woman,  pale  as  a  corpse,  lighted  by 
the  dismal  taper,  and  clasping  her  bloody  hands. 

"  He  will  reign ! "  she  exclaimed  with  a  sigh  of  despair  ; 
"  he  will  reign  !  " 

"  He  will  reign  ! "  repeated  Rene,  plunged  in  meditation. 

Nevertheless,  the  gloomy  expression  of  Catharine's  face  soon 
disappeared  under  the  light  of  a  thought  which  unfolded  in 
the  depths  of  her  mind. 

"Rene,"  said  she,  stretching  out  her  hand  toward  the  per- 
fumer without  lifting  her  head  from  her  breast,  "  Rene,  is 
there  not  a  terrible  history  of  a  doctor  at  Perugia,  who  killed 
at  once,  by  the  aid  of  a  pomade,1  his  daughter  and  his 
daughter's  lover?" 

1  The  original  has  a  I' aide  d'une  promenade. 


THE    BLACK    HENS.  207 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  And  this  lover  was  " — 

"  Was  King  Ladislas,  madame." 

"  Ah,  yes  !  "  murmured  she ;  "  have  you  any  of  the  details 
of  this  story  ?  " 

"  I  have  an  old  book  which  mentions  it,"  replied  Rene. 

"  Well,  let  us  go  into  the  other  room,  and  you  can  show  it 
me." 

They  left  the  cell,  the  door  of  which  Rene  closed  after  him. 

"  Has  your  majesty  any  other  orders  to  give  me  concerning 
the  sacrifices  ?  " 

"No,  Rene,  I  am  for  the  present  sufficiently  convinced. 
We  will  wait  till  we  can  secure  the  head  of  some  criminal,  and 
on  the  day  of  the  execution  you  must  arrange  with  the  hang- 
man." 

Rene  bowed  in  token  of  obedience,  then  holding  his  candle 
up  he  let  the  light  fall  on  the  shelves  where  his  books  stood, 
climbed  on  a  chair,  took  one  down,  and  handed  it  to  the  queen. 

Catharine  opened  it. 

"  What  is  this  ?  "  she  asked ;  «  <  On  the  Method  of  Raising 
and  Training  Tercels,  Falcons,  and  Gerfalcons  to  be  Coura- 
geous, Valiant,  and  always  ready  for  Flight.'  " 

"  Ah  !  pardon  me,  madame,  I  made  a  mistake.  That  is  a 
treatise  on  venery  written  by  a  scientific  man  of  Lucca  for  the 
famous  Castruccio  Castracani.  It  stood  next  the  other  and 
was  bound  exactly  like  it.  I  took  down  the  wrong  one.  How- 
ever, it  is  a  very  precious  volume ;  there  are  only  three  copies 
extant  —  one  belongs  to  the  library  at  Venice,  the  other  was 
bought  by  your  grandfather  Lorenzo  and  was  offered  by  Pietro 
de  Medicis  to  King  Charles  VIII.,  when  he  visited  Florence, 
and  the  third  you  have  in  your  hands." 

"  I  venerate  it,"  said  Catharine,  "  because  of  its  rarity,  but 
as  I  do  not  need  it,  I  return  it  to  you." 

And  she  held  out  her  right  hand  to  Rene  to  receive  the  book 
which  she  wished,  while  with  her  left  hand  she  returned  to 
him  the  one  which  she  had  first  taken. 

This  time  Rene  was  not  mistaken ;  it  was  the  volume  she 
wished.  He  stepped  down,  turned  the  leaves  for  a  moment, 
and  gave  it  to  her  open. 

Catharine  went  and  sat  down  at  a  table.  Rene  placed  the 
magic  taper  near  her  and  by  the  light  of  its  bluish  flame  she 
read  a  few  lines  in  an  undertone : 


208  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Good  ! "  said  she,  shutting  the  book ;  "  that  is  all  I  wanted 
to  know." 

She  rose  from  her  seat,  leaving  the  book  on  the  table,  but 
bearing  away  the  idea  which  had  germinated  in  her  mind  and 
would  ripen  there. 

_  Rene  waited  respectfully,  taper  in  hand,  until  the  queen, 
who  seemed  about  to  retire,  should  give  him  fresh  orders  or 
ask  fresh  questions. 

Catharine,  with  her  head  bent  and  her  finger  on  her  mouth, 
walked  up  and  down  several  times  without  speaking. 

Then  suddenly  stopping  before  Rene,  and  fixing  on  him  her 
eyes,  round  and  piercing  like  a  hawk's : 

"  Confess  you  have  made  for  her  some  love-philter,"  said  she. 

"  For  whom  ?  "  asked  Rene,  starting. 

«  La  Sauve." 

"  I,  madame  ?  "  said  Rene ;  "  never  ! " 

"  Never  ?  " 

"  I  swear  it  on  my  soul." 

"  There  must  be  some  magic  in  it,  however,  for  he  is  desper- 
ately in  love  with  her,  though  he  is  not  famous  for  his  con- 
stancy." 

"  Who,  madame  ?  " 

"  He,  Henry,  the  accursed,  —  he  who  is  to  succeed  my  three 
sons,  —  he  who  shall  one  day  be  called  Henry  IV.,  and  is  yet 
the  son  of  Jeanne  d'Albret." 

And  Catharine  accompanied  these  words  with  a  sigh  which 
made  Rene  shudder,  for  he  thought  of  the  famous  gloves  he 
had  prepared  by  Catharine's  order  for  the  Queen  of  Navarre. 

"  So  he  still  runs  after  her,  does  he  ?  "  said  Rene. 

"  He  does,"  replied  the  queen. 

"  I  thought  that  the  King  of  Navarre  was  quite  in  love  with 
his  wife  now." 

"  A  farce,  Re'ne',  a  farce  !  I  know  not  why,  but  every  one  is 
seeking  to  deceive  me.  My  daughter  Marguerite  is  leagued 
against  me ;  perhaps  she,  too,  is  looking  forward  to  the  death 
of  her  brothers ;  perhaps  she,  too,  hopes  to  be  Queen  of 
France." 

"Perhaps  so,"  re-echoed  Rene",  falling  back  into  his  own 
reverie  and  echoing  Catharine's  terrible  suspicion. 

"  Ha  !  we  shall  see,"  said  Catharine,  going  to  the  main 
door,  for  she  doubtless  judged  it  useless  to  descend  the  secret 
stair,  now  that  she  was  sure  that  they  were  alone. 


THE    BLACK   HENS.  209 

Rene  preceded  her,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  stood  in  the 
perfumer's  shop. 

"  You  promised  me  some  new  kind  of  cosmetic  for  my  hands 
and  lips,  Rene ;  the  winter  is  at  hand  and  you  know  how  sen- 
sitive my  skin  is  to  the  cold." 

"  I  have  already  provided  for  this,  madame ;  and  I  shall 
bring  you  some  to-morrow." 

"  You  would  not  find  me  in  before  nine  o'clock  to-morrow 
evening ;  I  shall  be  occupied  with  my  devotions  during  the 
day." 

"  I  will  be  at  the  Louvre  at  nine  o'clock,  then,  madame." 

"  Madame  de  Sauve  has  beautiful  hands  and  beautiful  lips," 
said  Catharine  in  a  careless  tone.  "  What  pomade  does  she 
use  ?  " 

"  For  her  hands  ?  " 

"  Yes,  for  her  hands  first." 

"  Heliotrope." 

"  What  for  her  lips  ?  " 

"  She  is  going  to  try  a  new  opiate  of  my  invention.  I  was 
going  to  bring  your  majesty  a  box  of  it  at  the  same  time." 

Catharine  mused  an  instant. 

"  She  is  certainly  a  very  beautiful  creature,"  said  she,  pur- 
suing her  secret  thoughts ;  "  and  the  passion  of  the  Bearnais 
for  her  is  not  strange  at  all." 

"  And  she  is  so  devoted  to  your  majesty,"  said  Rene.  "  At 
least  I  should  think  so." 

Catharine  smiled  and  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  When  a  woman  loves,  is  she  faithful  .to  any  one  but  her 
lover  ?  You  must  have  given  her  some  philter,  Rene." 

"  I  swear  I  have  not,  madame." 

"  Well,  well ;  we  '11  say  no  more  about  it.  Show  me  this  new 
opiate  you  spoke  of,  that  is  to  make  her  lips  fresher  and  rosier 
than  ever." 

Rene  approached  a  shelf  and  showed  Catharine  six  small 
boxes  of  the  same  shape,  i.e.,  round  silver  boxes  ranged  side 
by  side. 

"  This  is  the  only  philter  she  ever  asked  me  for,"  observed 
Rene ;  "  it  is  true,  as  your  majesty  says,  I  composed  it 
expressly  for  her,  for  her  lips  are  so  tender  that  the  sun  and 
wind  affect  them  equally." 

Catharine  opened  one  of  the  boxes  ;  it  contained  a  most  fas- 
cinating carmine  paste. 


210  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Give  me  some  paste  for  my  hands,  Rene,"  said  she ;  "  I 
will  take  it  away  with  me." 

Rene  took  the  taper,  and  went  to  seek,  in  a  private  com- 
partment, what  the  queen  asked  for.  As  he  turned,  he  fancied 
that  he  saw  the  queen  quickly  conceal  a  box  under  her  mantle ; 
he  was,  however,  too  familiar  with  these  little  thefts  of  the 
queen  mother  to  have  the  rudeness  to  seem  to  perceive  the 
movement ;  so  wrapping  the  cosmetic  she  demanded  in  a  paper 
bag,  ornamented  with  fleurs-de-lis : 

"  Here  it  is,  madame,"  he  said. 

"  Thanks,  Rene,"  returned  the  queen  ;  then,  after  a  moment's 
silence :  "  Do  not  give  Madame  de  Sauve  that  paste  for  a  week 
or  ten  days  ;  I  wish  to  make  the  first  trial  of  it  myself." 

And  she  prepared  to  go. 

"  Your  majesty,  do  you  desire  me  to  accompany  you  ? " 
asked  Rene. 

"  Only  to  the  end  of  the  bridge,"  replied  Catharine ;  "  my 
gentlemen  and  my  litter  wait  for  me  there." 

They  left  the  house,  and  at  the  end  of  the  Rue  de  la  Baril- 
lerie  four  gentlemen  on  horseback  and  a  plain  litter  were  wait- 
ing. 

On  his  return  Rene's  first  care  was  to  count  his  boxes  of 
opiates.  One  was  wanting. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

MADAME    DE    SAUVE'S    APARTMENT. 

CATHARINE  was  not  deceived  in  her  suspicions.  Henry  had 
resumed  his  former  habits  and  went  every  evening  to  Madame 
de  Sauve's.  At  first  he  accomplished  this  with  the  greatest 
secrecy  ;  but  gradually  he  grew  negligent  and  ceased  to  take  any 
precautions,  so  that  Catharine  had  no  trouble  in  finding  out 
that  while  Marguerite  was  still  nominally  Queen  of  Navarre, 
Madame  de  Sauve  was  the  real  queen. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  story  we  said  a  word  or  two  about 
Madame  de  Sauve's  apartment ;  but  the  door  opened  by  Dariole 
to  the  King  of  Navarre  closed  hermetically  behind  him,  so  that 
these  rooms,  the  scene  of  the  Bearnais's  mysterious  amours, 
are  totally  unknown  to  us.  The  quarters,  like  those  furnished 


MADAME    DE    SAUVE' S    APARTMENT.  211 

by  princes  for  their  dependents  in  the  palaces  occupied  by 
them  in  order  to  have  them  within  reach,  were  smaller  and 
less  convenient  than  what  she  could  have  found  in  the  city 
itself.  As  the  reader  already  knows,  they  were  situated  on 
the  second  floor  of  the  palace,  almost  immediately  above  those 
occupied  by  Henry  himself.  The  door  opened  into  a  corridor, 
the  end  of  which  was  lighted  by  an  arched  window  with  small 
leaded  panes,  so  that  even  in  the  loveliest  days  of  the  year  only 
a  dubious  light  filtered  through.  During  the  winter,  after  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  it  was  necessary  to  light  a  lamp,  but  as 
this  contained  no  more  oil  than  in  summer,  it  went  out  by  ten 
o'clock,  and  thus,  as  soon  as  the  winter  days  arrived,  gave  the 
two  lovers  the  greatest  security. 

A  small  antechamber,  carpeted  with  yellow  flowered  damask ; 
a  reception-room  with  hangings  of  blue  velvet ;  a  sleeping- 
room,  the  bed  adorned  with  twisted  columns  and  rose-satin 
curtains,  enshrining  a  ruelle  ornamented  with  a  looking-glass 
set  in  silver,  and  two  paintings  representing  the  loves  of  Venus 
and  Adonis,  —  such  was  the  residence,  or  as  one  would  say  now- 
adays the  nest,  of  the  lovely  lady-in-waiting  to  Queen  Catha- 
rine de  Medicis. 

If  one  had  looked  sharply  one  would  have  found,  oppo- 
site a  toilet-table  provided  with  every  accessory,  a  small  door 
in  a  dark  corner  of  this  room  opening  into  a  sort  of  oratory 
where,  raised  on  two  steps,  stood  a  priedieu.  In  this 
little  chapel  on  the  wall  hung  three  or  four  paintings,  to  the 
highest  degree  spiritual,  as  if  to  serve  as  a  corrective  to 
the  two  mythological  pictures  which  we  mentioned.  Among 
these  paintings  were  hung  on  gilded  nails  weapons  such  as 
women  carried. 

That  evening,  which  was  the  one  following  the  scenes  which 
we  have  described  as  taking  place  at  Maitre  Rene's,  Madame 
de  Sauve,  seated  in  her  bedroom  on  a  couch,  was  telling  Henry 
about  her  fears  and  her  love,  and  was  giving  him  as  a  proof 
of  her  love  the  devotion  which  she  had  shown  on  the  famous 
night  following  Saint  Bartholomew's,  the  night  which,  it  will 
be  remembered,  Henry  spent  in  his  wife's  quarters. 

Henry  on  his  side  was  expressing  his  gratitude  to  her. 
Madame  de  Sauve  was  charming  that  evening  in  her  simple 
batiste  wrapper ;  and  Henry  was  very  grateful. 

At  the  same  time,  as  Henry  was  really  in  love,  he  was 
dreamy.  Madame  de  Sauve,  who  had  come  actually  to  love 


212  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

instead  of  pretending  to  love  as  Catharine  had  commanded, 
kept  gazing  at  Henry  to  see  if  his  eyes  were  in  accord  with 
his  words. 

"  Conie,  now,  Henry,"  she  was  saying,  "  be  honest ;  that  night 
which  you  spent  in  the  boudoir  of  her  majesty  the  Queen  of 
Navarre,  with  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  at  your  feet,  did  n't  you  feel 
sorry  that  that  worthy  gentleman  was  between  you  and  the 
queen's  bedroom  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  did,  sweetheart,"  said  Henry,  "  for  the  only 
way  that  I  could  reach  this  room  where  I  am  so  comfortable, 
where  at  this  instant  I  am  so  happy,  was  for  me  to  pass 
through  the  queen's  room." 

Madame  de  Sauve  smiled. 

"  And  you  have  not  been  there  since  ?  " 

"  Only  as  I  have  told  you." 

"  You  will  never  go  to  her  without  informing  me  ?  " 

"  Never." 

"  Would  you  swear  to  it  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  would,  if  I  were  still  a  Huguenot,  but " 

"  But  what  ?  " 

"  But  the  Catholic  religion,  the  dogmas  of  which  I  am  now 
learning,  teach  me  that  one  must  never  take  an  oath." 

"  Gascon  !  "  exclaimed  Madame  de  Sauve,  shaking  her  head. 

"  But  now  it  is  my  turn,  Charlotte,"  said  Henry.  "  If  I  ask 
you  some  questions,  will  you  answer  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  will,"  replied  the  young  woman, "  I  have  noth- 
ing to  hide  from  you." 

"  Now  look  here,  Charlotte,"  said  the  king,  "  explain  to  me 
just  for  once  how  it  came  about  that  after  the  desperate  resist- 
ance which  you  made  to  me  before  my  marriage,  you  became 
less  cruel  to  me  who  am  an  awkward  Bearnais,  an  absurd  pro- 
vincial, a  prince  too  poverty-stricken,  indeed,  to  keep  the 
jewels  of  his  crown  polished." 

"  Henry,"  said  Charlotte, "  you  are  asking  the  explanation 
of  the  enigma  which  the  philosophers  of  all  countries  have 
been  trying  to  determine  for  the  past  three  thousand  years ! 
Henry,  never  ask  a  woman  why  she  loves  you ;  be  satisfied 
with  asking,  '  Do  you  love  me  ?  ' ' 

"  Do  you  love  me,  Charlotte  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  I  love  you,"  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  with  a  fascinating 
smile,  dropping  her  pretty  hand  into  her  lover's. 

Henry  retained  the  hand. 


MADAME    DE    SAUVE' S    APARTMENT.  213 

"  But,"  he  went  on  to  say,  following  out  his  thought,  "  sup- 
posing I  have  guessed  the  word  which  the  philosophers  have 
been  vainly  trying  to  find  for  three  thousand  years  —  at  least 
as  far  as  you  are  concerned,  Charlotte  ?  " 

Madame  de  Sauve  blushed. 

"  You  love  me,"  pursued  Henry,  "  consequently  I  have  noth- 
ing else  to  ask  you  and  I  consider  myself  the  happiest  man  in 
the  world.  But  you  know  happiness  is  always  accompanied  by 
some  lack.  Adam,  in  the  midst  of  Eden,  was  not  perfectly 
happy,  and  he  bit  into  that  miserable  apple  which  imposed 
upon  us  all  that  love  for  novelty  that  makes  every  one  spend 
his  life  in  the  search  for  something  unknown.  Tell  me,  my 
darling,  in  order  to  help  me  to  find  mine,  did  n't  Queen  Catha- 
rine at  first  bid  you  love  me  ?  " 

"  Henry,"  exclaimed  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  speak  lower  when 
you  speak  of  the  queen  mother !  " 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  Henry,  with  a  spontaneity  and  boldness 
which  deceived  Madame  de  Sauve  herself,  "  it  was  a  good 
thing  formerly  to  distrust  her,  kind  mother  that  she  is,  but 
then  we  were  not  on  good  terms  ;  but  now  that  I  am  her 
daughter's  husband  "  — 

"  Madame  Marguerite's  husband !  "  exclaimed  Charlotte, 
flushing  with  jealousy. 

"  Speak  low  in  your  turn,"  said  Henry ;  "  now  that  I  ani  her 
daughter's  husband  we  are  the  best  friends  in  the  world. 
What  was  it  they  wanted  ?  For  me  to  become  a  Catholic,  so 
it  seems.  Well,  grace  has  touched  me,  and  by  the  intercession 
of  Saint  Bartholomew  I  have  become  one.  We  live  together 
like  brethren  in  a  happy  family  —  like  good  Christians." 

"  And  Queen  Marguerite  ?  " 

"  Queen  Marguerite  ?  "  repeated  Henry ;  "  oh,  well,  she  is  the 
link  uniting  us." 

"  But,  Henry,  you  said  that  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  as  a 
reward  for  the  devotion  I  showed  her,  had  been  generous  to 
me.  If  what  you  say  is  true,  if  this  generosity,  for  which  I 
have  cherished  deep  gratitude  toward  her,  is  genuine,  she  is  a 
connecting  link  easy  to  break.  So  you  cannot  trust  to  this  sup- 
port, for  you  have  not  made  your  pretended  intimacy  impose 
on  any  one." 

"  Still  I  do  rest  on  it,  and  for  three  months  it  has  been  the 
bolster  on  which  I  have  slept." 


214  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS, 

"  Then,  Henry ! "  cried  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  you  have  de- 
ceived me,  and  Madame  Marguerite  is  really  your  wife." 

Henry  smiled. 

"  There,  Henry,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  you  have  given 
me  one  of  those  exasperating  smiles  which  make  me  feel  the 
cruel  desire  to  scratch  your  eyes  out,  king  though  you  are." 

"  Then,"  said  Henry,  "  I  seem  to  be  imposing  now  by  means 
of  this  pretended  friendship,  since  there  are  moments  when, 
king  though  I  am,  you  desire  to  scratch  out  my  eyes,  because 
you  believe  that  it  exists  !  " 

"Henry  !  Henry  !"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  I  believe  that 
God  himself  does  not  know  what  your  thoughts  are." 

"  My  sweetheart,"  said  Henry,  "  I  think  that  Catharine  first 
told  you  to  love  me,  next,  that  your  heart  told  you  the  same 
thing,  and  that  when  those  two  voices  are  speaking  to  you,  you 
hear  only  your  heart's.  Now  here  I  am.  I  love  you  and  love 
you  with  my  whole  heart,  and  that  is  the  very  reason  why  if 
ever  I  should  have  secrets  I  should  not  confide  them  to  you,  — 
for  fear  of  compromising  you,  of  course,  —  for  the  queen's 
friendship  is  changeable,  it  is  a  mother-in-law's." 

This  was  not  what  Charlotte  expected ;  it  seemed  to  her 
that  the  thickening  veil  between  her  and  her  lover  every  time 
she  tried  to  sound  the  depths  of  his  bottomless  heart  was  assum- 
ing the  consistency  of  a  wall,  and  was  separating  them  from 
each  other.  So  she  felt  the  tears  springing  to  her  eyes  as  he 
made  this  answer,  and  as  it  struck  ten  o'clock  just  at  that 
moment : 

"  Sire,"  said  Charlotte,  "  it  is  my  bed-time  ;  my  duties  call 
me  very  early  to-morrow  morning  to  the  queen  mother." 

"  So  you  drive  me  away  to-night,  do  you,  sweetheart  ?  " 

"  Henry,  I  am  sad.  As  I  am  sad,  you  would  find  me  tedious 
and  you  would  not  like  me  any  more.  You  see  that  it  is  better 
for  you  to  withdraw." 

"  Very  good,"  said  Henry,  "  I  will  withdraw  if  you  insist 
upon  it,  only,  venire  saint  gris  !  you  must  at  least  grant  me 
the  favor  of  staying  for  your  toilet." 

"  But  Queen  Marguerite,  sire  !  won't  you  keep  her  waiting  if 
you  remain  ?  " 

"  Charlotte,"  replied  Henry,  gravely,  "  it  was  agreed  between 
us  that  we  should  never  mention  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  this  evening  we  have  talked  about  nothing 
but  her." 


MADAME    DE    SAUVE' S    APARTMENT.          215 

Madame  de  Sauve  sighed ;  then  she  went  and  sat  down 
before  her  toilet-table.  Henry  took  a  chair,  pulled  it  along 
toward  the  one  that  served  as  his  mistress's  seat,  and  setting 
one  knee  on  it  while  he  leaned  on  the  back  of  the  other,  he 
said : 

"Come,  my  good  little  Charlotte,  let  me  see  you  make 
yourself  beautiful,  and  beautiful  for  me  whatever  you  said. 
Heavens  !  What  things !  What  scent-bottles,  what  powders, 
what  phials,  what  perfumery  boxes  ! " 

"  It  seems  a  good  deal,"  said  Charlotte,  with  a  sigh,  "  and 
yet  it  is  too  little,  since  with  it  all  I  have  not  as  yet  found  the 
means  of  reigning  exclusively  over  your  majesty's  heart." 

"  There !  "  exclaimed  Henry ;  "  let  us  not  fall  back  on  poli- 
tics !  What  is  that  little  fine  delicate  brush  ?  Should  it  not 
be  for  painting  the  eyebrows  of  my  Olympian  Jupiter  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire,"  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  and  you  have 
guessed  at  the  first  shot ! " 

"  And  that  pretty  little  ivory  rake  ?  " 

"  'T  is  for  parting  the  hair  !  " 

"  And  that  charming  little  silver  box  with  a  chased  cover  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  something  Rene  sent,  sire ;  't  is  the  famous 
opiate  which  he  has  been  promising  me  so  long  —  to  make  still 
sweeter  the  lips  which  your  majesty  has  been  good  enough 
sometimes  to  find  rather  sweet." 

And  Henry,  as  if  to  test  what  the  charming  woman  said, 
touched  his  lips  to  the  ones  which  she  was  looking  at  so  atten- 
tively in  the  mirror.  Now  that  they  were  returning  to  the 
field  of  coquetry,  the  cloud  began  to  lift  from  the  baroness's 
brow.  She  took  up  the  box  which  had  thus  been  explained, 
and  was  just  going  to  show  Henry  how  the  vermilion  salve  was 
used,  when  a  sharp  rap  at  the  antechamber  door  startled  the 
two  lovers. 

"  Some  one  is  knocking,  madame,"  said  Dariole,  thrusting 
her  head  through  the-opening  of  the  portiere. 

"  Go  and  find  out  who  it  is,  and  come  back,''  said  Madame 
de  Sauve.  Henry  and  Charlotte  looked  at  each  other  anxiously, 
and  Henry  was  beginning  to  think  of  retiring  to  the  oratory, 
in  which  he  had  already  more  than  once  taken  refuge,  when 
Dariole  reappeared. 

"  Madame,"  said  she,  "  it  is  Maitre  Rene,  the  perfumer." 

At  this  name  Henry  frowned,  and  involuntarily  bit  his 
lips. 


216  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Do  you  want  me  to  refuse  Mm  admission  ?  "  asked  Char- 
lotte. 

"  No  !  "  said  Henry ;  "  Maitre  Rene  never  does  anything 
without  having  previously  thought  about  it.  If  he  comes  to 
you,  it  is  because  he  has  a  reason  for  coming." 

"  In  that  case,  do  you  wish  to  hide  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  careful  not  to,"  said  Henry,  "  for  Maitre  Rene 
knows  everything ;  therefore  Maitre  Rene  knows  that  I  am 
here." 

"  But  has  not  your  majesty  some  reason  for  thinking  his 
presence  painful  to  you  ?  " 

"  I !  "  said  Henry,  making  an  effort,  which  in  spite  of  his 
will-power  he  could  not  wholly  dissimulate.  "  I !  none  at  all ! 
we  are  rather  cool  to  each  other,  it  is  true  ;  but  since  the  night 
of  Saint  Bartholomew  we  have  been  reconciled." 

"  Let  him  enter  !  "  said  Madame  de  Sauve  to  Dariole. 

A  moment  later  Rene  appeared,  and  took  in  the  whole  room 
at  a  glance. 

Madame  de  Sauve  was  still  before  her  toilet-table. 

Henry  had  resumed  his  place  on  the  couch. 

Charlotte  was  in  the  light,  and  Henry  in  the  shadow. 

"  Madame,"  said  Rene,  with  respectful  familiarity,  "  I  have 
come  to  offer  my  apologies." 

"  For  what,  Rene  ? "  asked  Madame  de  Sauve,  with  that 
condescension  which  pretty  women  always  use  towards  the 
world  of  tradespeople  who  surround  them,  and  whose  duty  it 
is  to  make  them  more  beautiful. 

"  Because  long  ago  I  promised  to  work  for  these  pretty  lips, 
and  because  "  — 

"  Because  you  did  not  keep  your  promise  until  to-day  ;  is  that 
it  ?  "  asked  Charlotte. 

«  Until  to-day  ?  "  repeated  Rene". 

"  Yes  ;  it  was  only  to-day,  in  fact,  this  evening,  that  I  re- 
ceived the  box  you  sent  me." 

"  Ah  !  indeed  ! "  said  Rene,  looking  strangely  at  the  small 
opiate  box  on  Madame  de  Sauve's  table,  which  was  precisely 
like  those  he  had  in  his  shop.  "  I  thought  so  ! "  he  murmured. 
"  And  you  have  used  it  ?  " 

"No,  not  yet.  I  was  just  about  to  try  it  as  you  entered." 
Rene's  face  assumed  a  dreamy  expression  which  did  not 
escape  Henry.  Indeed,  very  few  things  escaped  him. 


MADAME    DE    SAUVE'S    APARTMENT.          217 

"  Well,  Rene,  what  are  you  going  to  do  now  ?  "  asked  the 
king. 

"  I  ?  Nothing,  sire,"  said  the  perfumer,  "  I  am  humbly  wait- 
ing until  your  majesty  speaks  to  me,  before  taking  leave  of 
Madame  la  Baronne." 

"  Come,  now ! "  said  Henry,  smiling.  "  Do  you  need  my  word 
to  know  that  it  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  see  you  ? " 

Rene  glanced  around  him,  made  a  tour  of  the  room  as  if 
to  sound  the  doors  and  the  curtains  with  his  eye  and  ear, 
then  he  stopped  and  standing  so  that  he  could  embrace  at  a 
glance  both  Madame  de  Sauve  and  Henry  : 

"  I  do  not  know  it,"  said  he,  thanks  to  that  admirable 
instinct  which  like  a  sixth  sense  guided  him  during  the  first 
part  of  his  life  in  the  midst  of  impending  dangers.  Henry 
felt  that  at  that  moment  something  strangely  resembling  a 
struggle  was  passing  through  the  mind  of  the  perfumer,  and 
turned  towards  him,  still  in  the  shadow,  while  the  Florentine's 
face  was  in  the  light. 

"  You  here  at  this  hour,  Rene  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Am  I  unfortunate  enough  to  be  in  your  majesty's  way  ?  " 
asked  the  perfumer,  stepping  back. 

"No,  but  I  want  to  know  one  thing." 

"  What,  sire  ?  " 

"  Did  you  think  you  would  find  me  here  ?  " 

"  I  was  sure  of  it." 

"  You  wanted  me,  then  ?  " 

"  I  am  glad  to  have  found  you,  at  least." 

"  Have  you  something  to  say  to  me  ?  "  persisted  Henry. 

"  Perhaps,  sire !  "  replied  Rene. 

Charlotte  blushed,  for  she  feared  that  the  revelation  which 
the  perfumer  seemed  anxious  to  make  might  have  something 
to  do  with  her  conduct  towards  Henry.  Therefore  she  acted 
as  though,  having  been  wholly  engrossed  with  her  toilet,  she 
had  heard  nothing,  and  interrupted  the  conversation. 

"  Ah !  really,  Rene,"  said  she,  opening  the  opiate  box,  "  you 
are  a  delightful  man.  This  cake  is  a  marvellous  color,  and 
since  you  are  here  I  am  going  to  honor  you  by  experimenting 
with  your  new  production." 

She  took  the  box  in  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  touched 
the  tip  of  her  finger  to  the  rose  paste,  which  she  was  about  to 
raise  to  her  lips. 

Rene  gave  a  start. 


218  MARGUERITE    DE    VALO1S. 

The  baroness  smilingly  lifted  the  opiate  to  her  mouth. 

Rene  turned  pale. 

Still  in  the  shadow,  but  with  fixed  and  glowing  eyes,  Henry 
lost  neither  the  action  of  the  one  nor  the  shudder  of  the  other. 

Charlotte's  hand  had  but  a  short  distance  to  go  before  it 
would  touch  her  lips  when  Rene  seized  her  arm,  just  as  Henry 
rose  to  do  so. 

Henry  fell  back  noiselessly  011  the  couch. 

"  One  moment,  madame,"  said  Rene,  with  a  constrained 
smile,  "  you  must  not  use  this  opiate  without  special  direc- 
tions." 

"  Who  will  give  me  these  directions  ?  " 

«  i/' 

"When?" 

"  As  soon  as  I  have  finished  saying  what  I  have  to  say  to 
his  Majesty  the  King  of  Navarre." 

Charlotte  opened  her  eyes  wide,  understanding  nothing  of 
the  mysterious  language  about  her,  and  sat  with  the  opiate  pot 
in  one  hand,  gazing  at  the  tip  of  her  finger,  red  with  the 
rouge. 

Henry  rose,  and  moved  by  a  thought  which,  like  all  those  of 
the  young  king,  had  two  sides,  one  which  seemed  superficial, 
the  other  which  was  deep,  he  took  Charlotte's  hand  and  red  as 
it  was,  made  as  though  to  rai^e  it  to  his  lips. 

"  One  moment,"  said  Rene,  quickly,  "  one  moment !  Be  kind 
enough,  madame,  to  rinse  your  lovely  hands  with  this  soap 
from  Naples  which  I  neglected  to  send  you  at  the  same  time 
as  the  rouge,  and  which  I  have  the  honor  of  bringing  you  now." 

Drawing  from  its  silver  wrapping  a  cake  of  green  soap,  he 
put  it  in  a  vermilion  basin,  poured  some  water  over  it,  and, 
with  one  knee  on  the  floor,  offered  it  to  Madame  de  Sauve. 

"  Why,  really,  Maitre  Rene1,  I  no  longer  recognize  you,"  said 
Henry,  "  you  are  so  gallant  that  you  far  outstrip  every  court 
fop." 

"  Oh,  what  a  delicious  perfume  ! "  cried  Charlotte,  rubbing 
her  beautiful  hands  with  the  pearly  foam  made  by  the  scented 
cake. 

Re'ne  performed  his  office  of  courtier  to  the  end.  He  offered 
a  napkin  of  fine  Frisian  linen  to  Madame  de  Sauve,  who  dried 
her  hands  on  it. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Florentine  to  Henry.  "  Let  your  mind  be 
at  rest,  monseigneur." 


"SIRE,    YOU    SHALL    BE    KING."  219 

Charlotte  gave  her  hand  to  Henry,  who  kissed  it,  and  while 
she  half  turned  on  her  chair  to  listen  to  what  Rene  was  about 
to  say,  the  King  of  Navarre  returned  to  his  couch,  more  con- 
vinced than  ever  that  something  unusual  was  passing  through 
the  mind  of  the  perfumer. 

"  Well  ? "  asked  Charlotte.  The  Florentine  apparently 
made  an  effort  to  collect  all  his  strength,  and  then  turned 
towards  Henry. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

"  SIRE,    YOU    SHALL    BE    KING." 

"  SIRE,"  said  Rene  to  Henry,  "  I  have  come  to  speak  of 
something  which  has  been  on  my  mind  for  some  time." 

"  Perfumery  ?  "  said  Henry,  smiling. 

"Well,  yes,  sire,  —  perfumery,"  replied  Rene,  with  a  singu- 
lar nod  of  acquiescence. 

"  Speak,  I  am  listening  to  you.  This  is  a  subject  which  has 
always  interested  me  deeply." 

Rene*  looked  at  Henry  to  try,  in  spite  of  his  words,  to  read 
the  impenetrable  thought ;  but  seeing  that  it  was  perfectly 
impossible,  he  continued : 

"  One  of  my  friends,  sire,  has  just  arrived  from  Florence. 
This  friend  is  greatly  interested  in  astrology." 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  Henry,  "  I  know  that  it  is  a  passion 
with  Florentines." 

"  In  company  with  the  foremost  students  of  the  world  he 
has  read  the  horoscopes  of  the  chief  gentlemen  of  Europe." 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  exclaimed  Henry. 

"  And  as  the  house  of  Bourbon  is  at  the  head  of  the  highest, 
descended  as  it  is  from  the  Count  of  Clermont,  the  fifth  son  of 
Saint  Louis,  your  majesty  must  know  that  your  horoscope  has 
not  been  overlooked." 

Henry  listened  still  more  attentively. 

"  Do  you  remember  this  horosope  ? "  said  the  King  of 
Navarre,  with  a  smile  which  he  strove  to  render  indifferent. 

"  Oh  !  "  replied  Rene,  shaking  his  head,  "  your  horoscope  is 
not  one  to  be  forgotten." 

"  Indeed  ! "  said  Henry,  ironically. 


220  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Yes,  sire ;  according  to  this  horoscope  your  majesty  is  to 
have  a  most  brilliant  destiny." 

The  young  prince  gave  a  lightning  glance  which  was  almost 
at  once  lost  under  cover  of  indifference. 

"  Every  Italian  oracle  is  apt  to  flatter,"  said  Henry ;  "  but 
he  who  flatters  lies.  Are  there  not  those  who  have  predicted 
that  I  would  command  armies  ?  I ! "  He  burst  out  laughing. 
But  an  observer  less  occupied  with  himself  than  Rene  would 
have  noticed  and  realized  the  effort  of  this  laugh. 

"  Sire,"  said  Rene,  coldly,  "  the  horoscope  tells  better  than 
that." 

"  Does  it  foretell  that  at  the  head  of  one  of  these  armies  I 
shall  win  battles  ?  " 

"  Better  than  that,  sire." 

"Well,"  said  Henry;  "you  will  see  that  I  shall  be  con- 
queror ! " 

"  Sire,  you  shall  be  king." 

"  Well  !  Venire  saint  gris  !  "  exclaimed  Henry,  repressing 
a  violent  beating  of  his  heart ;  "  am  I  not  that  already  ?  " 

"  Sire,  my  friend  knows  what  he  promises  ;  not  only  will 
you  be  king,  but  you  will  reign." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Henry,  in  the  same  mocking  tone, 
"your  friend  must  have  ten  crowns  of  gold,  must  he  not, 
Rene  ?  for  such  a  prophecy  is  very  ambitious,  especially  in 
times  like  these.  Well,  Rene,  as  I  am  not  rich,  I  will  give 
your  friend  five  now  and  five  more  when  the  prophecy  is  ful- 
filled." 

"  Sire,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  do  not  forget  that  you  are 
already  pledged  to  Dariole,  and  do  not "  overburden  yourself 
with  promises." 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  "  I  hope  when  this  time  comes  that 
I  shall  be  treated  as  a  king,  and  that  they  will  be  satisfied  if  I 
keep  half  of  my  promises." 

"  Sire,"  said  Rene,  "  I  will  continue." 

"  Oh,  that  is  not  all,  then  ?  "  said  Henry.  "  Well,  if  I  am 
emperor,  I  will  give  twice  as  much." 

"  Sire,  my  friend  has  returned  from  Florence  with  the  horo- 
scope, which  he  renewed  in  Paris,  and  which  always  gives  the 
same  result ;  and  he  told  me  a  secret." 

"  A  secret  of  interest  to  his  majesty  ? "  asked  Charlotte, 
quickly. 

"  I  think  so,"  said  the  Florentine. 


"SIRE,     YOU    SHALL    BE    KING"  221 

"  He  is  searching  for  words,"  thought  Henry,  without  in  any- 
way coming  to  Rene's  rescue.  "  Apparently  the  thing  is 
difficult  to  tell." 

"  Speak,  then, "  went  on  the  Baroness  de  Sauve ;  "  what  is  it 
about  ?  " 

"  It  is  about  all  the  rumors  of  poisoning,"  said  the  Floren- 
tine, weighing  each  of  his  words  separately,  "  it  is  about  all  the 
rumors  of  poisoning  which  for  some  time  have  been  circulated 
around  court."  A  slight  movement  of  the  nostrils  of  the  King 
of  Navarre  was  the  only  indication  of  his  increased  attention 
at  the  sudden  turn  in  the  conversation. 

"  And  your  friend  the  Florentine,  "  said  Henry,  "  knows 
something  about  this  poisoning?" 

"  Yes,  sire. " 

"  How  can  you  tell  me  a  secret  which  is  not  yours,  Rene, 
especially  when  the  secret  is  such  an  important  one  ?  "  said 
Henry,  in  the  most  natural  tone  he  could  assume. 

"  This  friend  has  some  advice  to  ask  of  your  majesty." 

"Of  me?" 

"  What  is  there  surprising  in  that,  sire  ?  Remember  the  old 
soldier  of  Actiuin  who,  having  a  law-suit  on  hand,  asked  advice 
of  Augustus." 

"Augustus  was  a  lawyer,  Rene,  and  I  am  not. " 

"  Sire,  when  my  friend  confided  this  secret  to  me,  your 
majesty  still  belonged  to  the  Calvinist  party,  of  which  you 
were  the  chief  head,  and  of  which  Monsieur  de  Conde  was  the 
second." 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Henry. 

"  This  friend  hoped  that  you  would  use  your  all-powerful 
influence  over  Monsieur  de  Conde  and  beg  him  not  to  be 
hostile  to  him." 

"  Explain  this  to  me,  Rene,  if  you  wish  me  to  understand  it," 
said  Henry,  without  betraying  the  least  change  in  his  face  or 
voice. 

"  Sire,  your  majesty  will  understand  at  the  first  word.  This 
friend  knows  all  the  particulars  of  the  attempt  to  poison  Mon- 
seigneur  de  Conde." 

"  There  has  been  an  attempt  to  poison  the  Prince  de 
Conde  ?  "  exclaimed  Henry  with  a  well-assumed  astonishment. 
"  Ah,  indeed,  and  when  was  this  ?  " 

Rene  looked  fixedly  at  the  king,  and  replied  merely  by 
these  words : 


222  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  A  week  ago,  your  majesty." 

"  Some  enemy  ?  "  asked  the  king. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Rene,  "  an  enemy  whom  your  majesty  knows 
and  who  knows  your  majesty." 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,"  said  Henry,  "  I  think  I  have  heard 
this  mentioned,  but  I  am  ignorant  of  the  details  which  your 
friend  has  to  reveal.  Tell  them  to  me." 

"  Well,  a  perfumed  apple  was  offered  to  the  Prince  of 
Conde.  Fortunately,  however,  when  it  was  brought  to  him 
his  physician  was  with  him.  He  took  it  from  the  hands  of 
the  messenger  and  smelled  it  to  test  its  odor  and  soundness. 
Two  days  later  a  gangrene  swelling  of  the  face,  an  extravasa- 
tion of  the  blood,  a  running  sore  which  ate  away  his  face,  were 
the  price  of  his  devotion  or  the  result  of  his  imprudence." 

"  Unfortunately,"  replied  Henry,  "  being  half  Catholic  al- 
ready, I  have  lost  all  influence  over  Monsieur  de  Conde.  Your 
friend  was  wrong,  therefore,  in  addressing  himself  to  me." 

"  It  was  not  only  in  regard  to  the  Prince  de  Conde  that  your 
majesty  could  be  of  use  to  my  friend,  but  in  regard  to  the  Prince 
de  Porcian  also,  the  brother  of  the  one  who^was  poisoned." 

"  Ah  !  "  exclaimed  Charlotte,  "  do  you  know,  Rene,  that 
your  stories  partake  of  the  gruesome  ?  You  plead  at  a  poor 
time.  It  is  late,  your  conversation  is  death-like.  Really,  your 
perfumes  are  worth  more."  Charlotte  again  extended  her 
hand  towards  the  opiate  box. 

"  Madame,"  said  Rene,  "  before  testing  that,  as  you  are  about 
tp  do,  hear  what  cruel  results  wicked  men  can  draw  from  it." 

"  Really,  Rene,"  said  the  baroness,  "  you  are  funereal  this 
evening." 

Henry  frowned,  but  he  understood  that  Rene  wished  to 
reach  a  goal  which  he  did  not  yet  see,  and  he  resolved  to  push 
towards  this  end  the  conversation  which  awakened  in  him 
such  painful  memories. 

"  And,"  he  continued,  "  you  knew  the  details  of  the  poison- 
ing of  the  Prince  de  Porcian  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  he.  "  It  is  known  that  every  night  he  left  a 
lamp  burning  near  his  bed ;  the  oil  was  poisoned  and  he  was 
"asphyxiated." 

Henry  clinched  his  fingers,  which  were  damp  with  perspi- 
ration. 

"  So,"  he  murmured,  "  he  whom  you  call  your  friend  knows 
not  only  the  details  of  the  poisoning,  but  the  author  of  it  ?  " 


"  SIRE,    YOU    SHALL    BE    KING''  223 

"  Yes,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  he  wished  to  ask  you 
if  you  would  use  over  the  Prince  of  Porcian  the  remains  of 
that  influence  and  have  the  murderer  pardoned  for  the  death 
of  his  brother." 

"  Unfortunately,"  replied  Henry,  "  still  being  half  Hugue- 
not, I  have  no  influence  over  Monsieur  le  Prince  de  Porcian  ; 
your  friend  therefore  would  have  done  wrong  in  speaking  to 
me." 

"But  what  do  you  think  of  the  intentions  of  Monsieur  le 
Prince  de  Conde  and  of  Monsieur  de  Porcian  ?  " 

"  How  should  I  know  their  intentions,  Rene  ?  God,  whom 
I  may  know,  has  not  given  me  the  privilege  of  reading  their 
hearts." 

"  Your  majesty  must  ask  yourself,"  said  the  Florentine 
calmly.  "  Is  there  not  in  the  life  of  your  majesty  some  event 
so  gloomy  that  it  can  serve  as  a  test  of  clemency,  so  painful 
that  it  is  a  touchstone  for  generosity  ?  " 

These  words  were  uttered  in  a  tone  which  made  Charlotte 
herself  tremble.  It  was  an  allusion  so  direct,  so  pointed,  that 
the  young  woman  turned  aside  to  hide  her  blush,  and  to  avoid 
meeting  Henry's  eyes.  Henry  made  a  supreme  effort  over 
himself  ;  his  forehead,  which  during  the  words  of  the  Floren- 
tine wore  threatening  lines,  unbent,  and  he  changed  the  digni- 
fied, filial  grief  which  tightened  his  heart  into  vague  meditation. 

"  In  my  life,"  said  he,  "  a  gloomy  circumstance  —  no,  Rene, 
no ;  I  remember  in  my  youth  only  folly  and  carelessness 
mingled  with  more  or  less  cruel  necessity  imposed  on  every 
one  by  the  demands  of  nature  and  the  proofs  of  God." 

Rene  in  turn  became  constrained  as  he  glanced  from  Henry 
to  Charlotte,  as  though  to  rouse  the  one  and  hold  back  the 
other ;  for  Charlotte  had  retiirned  to  her  toilet  to  hide  the 
anxiety  caused  by  their  conversation,  and  had  again  extended 
her  hand  towards  the  opiate  box. 

"  But,  sire,  if  you  were  the  brother  of  the  Prince  of  Porcian 
or  the  son  of  the  Prince  of  Conde",  and  if  they  had  poisoned 
your  brother  or  assassinated  your  father  "  —  Charlotte  uttered 
a  slight  cry  and  raised  the  opiate  to  her  lips.  Rene  saw  the 
gesture,  but  this  time  he  stopped  her  neither  by  word  nor 
gesture ;  he  merely  exclaimed : 

"  In  Heaven's  name,  sire,  answer  !  Sire,  if  you  were  in  their 
place  what  would  you  do  ?  " 

Henry  recovered  himself.     With  trembling  hand  he  wiped 


224  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

his  forehead,  on  which  stood  drops  of  cold  perspiration,  and 
rising  to  his  full  height,  replied  in  the  midst  of  the  silence 
which  until  then  had  held  Rene  and  Charlotte  : 

"  If  I  were  in  their  place,  and  if  I  were  sure  of  being  king, 
that  is,  sure  of  representing  God  on  earth,  I  would  act  like 
God,  I  should  pardon." 

"  Madame,"  cried  Rene,  snatching  the  opiate  from  the  hands 
of  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  madame,  give  me  back  this  box  ;  my 
messenger  boy,  I  see,  has  made  a  mistake  in  it.  To-morrow  I 
will  send  you  another." 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

A    NEW    CONVERT. 

THE  following  day  there  was  to  be  a  hunt  in  the  forest  of 
Saint  Germain. 

Henry  had  ordered  a  small  Bearnais  horse  to  be  made  ready 
for  him  ;  that  is,  to  be  saddled  and  bridled  at  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  He  had  intended  giving  this  horse  to  Madame 
de  Sauve,  but  he  wanted  to  try  it  first.  At  a  quarter  before 
eight  the  horse  was  ready.  On  the  stroke  of  eight  Henry 
came  down  to  the  court-yard.  The  horse,  proud  and  fiery  in 
spite  of  its  small  size,  pricked  up  its  ears  and  pawed  the 
ground.  The  weather  was  cold  and  a  light  frost  covered  the 
pavement.  Henry  started  to  cross  the  court-yard  to  the  stables 
where  the  horse  and  the  groom  were  waiting,  when  a  Swiss 
soldier  whom  he  passed  standing  sentinel  at  the  gate  presented 
arms  and  said : 

"God  keep  his  Majesty  the  King  of  Navarre." 

At  this  wish  and  especially  at  the  tone  in  which  it  was 
uttered  the  Bearnais  started. 

He  turned  and  stepped  back. 

"  De  Mouy  !  "  he  murmured. 

"  Yes,  sire,  De  Mouy." 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

"  Looking  for  you." 

"  Why  are  you  looking  for  me  ?  " 

"  I  must  speak  to  your  majesty." 

"  Unfortunately,"  said  the  king,  approaching  him,  "  do  you 
not  know  you  risk  your  head  ?  " 


A    NEW    CONVERT.  225 

"  I  know  it." 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  am  here." 

Henry  turned  slightly  pale,  for  he  knew  that  he  shared  the 
danger  run  by  this  rash  young  man.  He  looked  anxiously  about 
him,  and  stepped  back  a  second  time,  no  less  quickly  than  he  had 
done  at  first.  He  had  seen  the  Due  d'Alenc,on  at  a  window. 

At  once  changing  his  manner  Henry  took  the  musket  from 
the  hands  of  De  Mouy,  standing,  as  we  have  said,  sentinel,  and 
while  apparently  measuring  it : 

"  De  Mouy,"  said  he,  "  it  is  certainly  not  without  some  very 
strong  motive  that  you  have  come  to  beard  the  lion  in  his  den 
in  this  way  ?  " 

"  No,  sire,  I  have  waited  for  you  a  week ;  only  yesterday  I 
heard  that  your  majesty  was  to  try  a  horse  this  morning,  and 
I  took  my  position  at  the  gate  of  the  Louvre." 

"  But  how  in  this  uniform  ?  " 

"The  captain  of  the  company  is  a  Protestant  and  is  one  of 
my  friends." 

"  Here  is  your  musket ;  return  to  your  duty  of  sentinel. 
We  are  watched.  As  I  come  back  I  will  try  to  say  a  word 
to  you,  but  if  I  do  not  speak,  do  not  stop  me.  Adieu." 

De  Mouy  resumed  his  measured  walk,  and  Henry  advanced 
towards  the  house. 

"What  is  that  pretty  little  animal  ? "  asked  the  Due  d'Alen- 
qon  from  his  window. 

"  A  horse  I  am  going  to  try  this  morning,"  replied  Henry. 

"  But  that  is  not  a  horse  for  a  man." 

"  Therefore  it  is  intended  for  a  beautiful  woman." 

"  Take  care,  Henry ;  you  are  going  to  be  indiscreet,  for  we 
shall  see  this  beautiful  woman  at  the  hunt ;  and  if  I  do  not 
know  whose  knight  you  are,  I  shall  at  least  know  whose  equerry 
you  are." 

"  No,  my  lord,  you  will  not  know,"  said  Henry,  with  his 
feigned  good-humor,  "  for  this  beautiful  woman  cannot  go  out 
this  morning  ;  she  is  indisposed." 

He  sprang  into  the  saddle. 

"  Ah,  bah  !  "  cried  d'Alengon,  laughing  ;  "  poor  Madame  de 
Sauve." 

"  Francois  !  Francois  !  it  is  you  who  are  indiscreet." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  beautiful  Charlotte  ?  "  went 
on  the  Due  d'Alen^on. 


226  MARGUERITE   DE    V A  LOIS. 

11  Why,"  replied  Henry,  spurring  his  horse  to  a  gallop,  and 
making  him  describe  a  graceful  curve  ;  "  why,  I  have  no  idea, 
—  a  heaviness  in  the  head,  according  to  what  Dariole  tells  me. 
A  torpor  of  the  whole  body  ;  in  short,  general  debility." 

"  And  will  this  prevent  you  from  joining  us  ?  "  asked  the 
duke. 

"  I  ?  Why  should  it  ?  "  asked  Henry.  "  You  know  that  I 
dote  on  a  hunt,  and  that  nothing  could  make  me  miss  one." 

"  But  you  will  miss  this  one,  Henry,"  said  the  duke,  after 
he  had  turned  and  spoken  for  an  instant  with  some  one  un- 
noticed by  Henry,  who  addressed  Franqois  from  the  rear  of 
the  room,  "  for  his  Majesty  tells  me  that  the  hunt  cannot  take 
place." 

"  Bah  !  "  said  Henry,  in  the  most  disappointed  tone  imagin- 
able. "  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Very  important  letters  from  Monsieur  de  Nevers,  it  seems. 
There  is  a  council  among  the  King,  the  queen  mother,  and  my 
brother  the  Due  d'Anjou." 

"Ah!  ah!"  said  Henry  to  himself,  "could  any  news  have 
come  from  Poland  ?  " 

Then  aloud : 

"  In  that  case,"  he  continued,  "  it  is  useless  for  me  to  run 
any  further  risk  on  this  frost.  Good-by,  brother  ! " 

Pulling  up  his  horse  in  front  of  De  Mouy  : 

"  My  friend,"  said  he,  "  call  one  of  your  comrades  to  finish 
your  sentinel  duty  for  you.  Help  the  groom  ungirth  my 
horse.  Put  the  saddle  over  your  head  and  carry  it  to  the 
saddler's ;  there  is  some  embroidery  to  be  done  on  it,  which 
there  was  not  time  to  finish  for  to-day.  You  Avill  bring  an 
answer  to  my  apartments." 

De  Mouy  hastened  to  obey,  for  the  Due  d'Alenqon  had  dis- 
appeared from  his  window,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  suspected 
something. 

In  fact,  scarcely  had  De  Mouy  disappeared  through  the  gate 
before  the  Due  d'Alengon  came  in  sight.  A  real  Swiss  was  in 
De  Mouy's  place.  D'Alengon  looked  carefully  at  the  new 
sentinel ;  then  turning  to  Henry  : 

"  This  is  not  the  man  you  were  talking  with  just  now,  is  it, 
brother?" 

"  The  other  is  a  young  man  who  belongs  to  my  household 
and  whom  I  had  enter  the  Swiss  guards.  I  have  just  given 
him  a  commission  and  he  has  gone  to  carry  it  out." 


A    NEW    CONVERT.  227 

"  Ah  ! "  said  the  duke,  as  if  this  reply  sufficed.  "  And  how 
is  Marguerite  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  her,  brother." 

"  Have  you  not  seen  her  since  yesterday  ?  " 

"No.  I  went  to  her  about  eleven  o'clock  last  night,  but 
Gillonne  told  me  that  she  was  tired  and  had  gone  to  sleep." 

"  You  will  not  find  her  in  her  room.     She  has  gone  out." 

"  Oh ! "  said  Henry.  "Very  likely.  She  was  to  go  to  the 
Convent  de  I'Annonciade." 

There  was  no  way  of  carrying  the  conversation  further,  as 
Henry  had  seemingly  made  up  his  mind  simply  to  answer. 
The  two  brothers-in-law  therefore  departed,  the  Due  d'Alen- 
qon  to  go  for  news,  he  said,  the  King  of  Navarre  to  return  to 
his  room. 

Henry  had  been  there  scarcely  five  minutes  when  he  heard 
a  knock  at  the  door. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Sire,"  replied  a  voice  which  Henry  recognized  as  that  of 
De  Mouy,  "  it  is  the  answer  from  the  saddler." 

Henry,  visibly  moved,  bade  the  young  man  enter  and  closed 
the  door  behind  him. 

"  Is  it  you,  De  Mouy  ?  "  said  he ;  "I  hoped  that  you  would 
reflect." 

"  Sire,"  replied  De  Mouy,  "  I  have  reflected  for  three 
months ;  that  is  long  enough.  Now  it  is  time  to  act."  Henry 
made  a  gesture  of  impatience. 

"  Fear  nothing,  sire,  we  are  alone,  and  I  will  make  haste, 
for  time  is  precious.  Your  majesty  can  tell  in  a  word  all  that 
the  events  of  the  year  have  lost  to  the  cause  of  religion.  Let 
us  be  clear,  brief,  and  frank." 

"  I  am  listening,  my  good  De  Mouy,"  replied  Henry,  seeing 
that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  elude  the  explanation. 

"  Is  it  true  that  your  majesty  has  abjured  the  Protestant 
religion  ?  " 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Henry. 

"  Yes,  but  is  it  with  your  lips  or  at  heart  ?  " 

"  One  is  always  grateful  to  God  when  he  saves  our  life," 
replied  Henry,  turning  the  question  as  he  had  a  habit  of  doing 
in  such  cases,  "  and  God  has  evidently  saved  me  from  this 
cruel  danger." 

"  Sire,"  resumed  De  Mouy,  "  let  us  admit  one  thing." 

"  What  ?  " 


228  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  That  your  abjuring  is  not  a  matter  of  conviction,  but  of 
calculation.  You  have  abjured  so  that  the  King  would  let  you 
live,  and  not  because  God  has  saved  your  life." 

"  Whatever  the  cause  of  my  conversion,  De  Mouy,"  replied 
Henry,  "  I  am  none  the  less  a  Catholic." 

"  Yes,  but  shall  you  always  be  one  ?  The  first  chance  you 
have  for  resuming  your  freedom  of  life  and  of  conscience,  will 
you  not  resume  it  ?  Well !  this  opportunity  has  presented 
itself.  La  Eochelle  has  revolted,  Roussillon  and  Beam  are 
merely  waiting  for  one  word  before  acting.  In.  Guyenne 
every  one  cries  for  war.  Merely  tell  me  if  you  were  forced  into 
taking  this  step,  and  I  will  answer  for  the  future." 

"  A  gentleman  of  my  birth  is  not  forced,  my  dear  De  Mouy. 
That  which  I  have  done,  I  have  done  voluntarily. " 

"  But,  sire,"  said  the  young  man,  his  heart  oppressed  with 
this  resistance  which  he  had  not  expected,  "  you  do  not  re- 
member that  in  acting  thus  you  abandon  and  betray  us." 

Henry  was  unmoved. 

"  Yes,"  went  on  De  Mouy,  "  yes,  you  betray  us,  sire,  for 
several  of  us,  at  the  risk  of  our  lives,  have  come  to  save  your 
honor  and  your  liberty ;  we  are  prepared  to  offer  you  a  throne, 
sire ;  do  you  realize  this  ?  not  only  liberty,  but  power ;  a 
throne  of  your  own  choice,  for  in  two  months  you  could  choose 
between  Navarre  and  France." 

"  De  Mouy,"  said  Henry,  covering  his  eyes,  which  in  spite 
of  himself  had  emitted  a  flash  at  the  above  suggestion,  "  De 
Moiiy,  I  am  safe,  I  am  a  Catholic,  I  am  the  husband  of 
Marguerite,  I  am  the  brother  of  King  Charles,  I  am  the  son- 
in-law  of  my  good  mother  Catharine.  De  Mouy,  in  assuming 
these  various  positions,  I  have  calculated  their  opportunities 
and  also  their  obligations." 

"  But,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  what  must  one  believe  ?  I  am 
told  that  your  marriage  is  not  contracted,  that  at  heart  you 
are  free,  that  the  hatred  of  Catharine  "  — 

"  Lies,  lies,"  interrupted  the  Bearnais  hastily.  "  Yes,  you 
have  been  shamefully  deceived,  my  friend  ;  this  dear  Marguerite 
is  indeed  my  wife,  Catharine  is  really  my  mother,  and  King 
Charles  IX.  is  the  lord  and  master  of  my  life  and  of  my  heart." 

De  Mouy  shuddered,  and  an  almost  scornful  smile  passed 
over  his  lips. 

"  In  that  case,  sire,"  said  he  dropping  his  arms  dejectedly, 
and  trying  to  fathom  that  soul  filled  with  shadows,  "  this  is 


A    NEW    CONVERT.  229 

the  answer  I  am  to  take  back  to  my  brothers,  —  I  shall  tell 
them  that  the  King  of  Navarre  extends  his  hand  and  opens  his 
heart  to  those  who  have  cut  our  throats  ;  I  shall  tell  them  that 
he  has  become  the  flatterer  of  the  queen  mother  and  the  friend 
of  Maurevel." 

"  My  dear  De  Mouy,"  said  Henry,  "  the  King  is  coming  out 
of  the  council  chamber,  and  I  must  go  and  find  out  from  him 
the  reasons  for  our  having  had  to  give  up  so  important  a  thing 
as  a  hunt.  Adieu ;  imitate  me,  my  friend,  give  up  politics, 
return  to  the  King  and  attend  mass." 

Henry  led  or  rather  pushed  into  the  antechamber  the  young 
man,  whose  amazement  was  beginning  to  change  into  fury. 

Scarcely  was  the  door  closed  before,  unable  any  longer  to 
resist  the  longing  to  avenge  himself  on  something  in  defence 
of  some  one,  De  Mouy  twisted  his  hat  between  his  hands,  threw 
it  upon  the  floor,  and  stamping  on  it  as  a  bull  would  stamp  on 
the  cloak  of  the  matador  : 

"  By  Heaven ! "  he  cried,  "  he  is  a  wretched  prince,  and  I 
have  half  a  mind  to  kill  myself  here  in  order  to  stain  him  for- 
ever with  my  blood." 

"  Hush,  Monsieur  de  Mouy ! "  said  a  voice  through  a  half- 
open  door ;  "  hush  !  some  one  besides  myself  might  hear  you." 

De  Mouy  turned  quickly  and  perceived  the  Due  d'Alenqon 
enveloped  in  a  cloak,  advancing  into  the  corridor  with  pale 
face,  to  make  sure  that  he  and  De  Mouy  were  entirely 
alone. 

"  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alenqon,"  cried  De  Mouy,  "  I  am  lost ! " 

"  On  the  contrary,"  murmured  the  prince,  "  perhaps  you 
have  found  what  you  are  looking  for,  and  the  proof  of  this  is 
that  I  do  not  want  you  to  kill  yourself  here  as  you  had  an  idea 
of  doing  just  now.  Believe  me,  your  blood  can  in  all  proba- 
bility be  put  to  better  use  than  to  redden  the  threshold  of  the 
King  of  Navarre." 

At  these  words  the  duke  threw  back  the  door  which  he  had 
been  holding  half  open. 

"  This  chamber  belongs  to  two  of  my  gentlemen,"  said  the 
duke.  "  No  one  will  interrupt  us  here.  We  can,  therefore, 
talk  freely.  Come  in,  monsieur." 

"  I,  here,  monseigiieur  !  "  cried  the  conspirator  in  amaze- 
ment. He  entered  the  room,  the  door  of  which  the  Due 
d'Alencon  closed  behind  him  no  less  quickly  than  the  King  of 
Navarre  had  done. 


230  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

De  Mouy  entered,  furious,  exasperated,  cursing.  But  by 
degrees  the  cold  and  steady  glance  of  the  young  Due  Franqois 
had  the  same  effect  on  the  Huguenot  captain  as  does  the 
enchanted  lake  which  dissipates  drunkenness. 

"  Monseigneur,"  said  he,  "  if  I  understand  correctly,  your 
highness  wishes  to  speak  to  me." 

"  Yes,  Monsieur  de  Mouy,"  replied  Francois.  "  In  spite  of 
your  disguise  I  thought  I  recognized  you,  and  when  you 
presented  arms  to  my  brother  Henry,  I  recognized  you 
perfectly.  Well,  De  Mouy,  so  you  are  not  pleased  with  the 
King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Monseigneur !  " 

"  Come,  come !  tell  me  frankly,  unless  you  distrust  me ; 
perhaps  I  am  one  of  your  friends.  " 

"  You,  monseigneur  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I ;  so  speak." 

"  I  do  not  know  what  to  say  to  your  highness,  monseigneur. 
The  matter  I  had  to  discuss  with  the  King  of  Navarre  con- 
cerned interests  which  your  highness  would  not  comprehend. 
Moreover,"  added  De  Mouy  with  a  manner  which  he  strove  to 
render  indifferent,  "  they  were  mere  trifles." 

"  Trifles  ?  "  said  the  duke. 

"  Yes,  monseigneur." 

"  Trifles,  for  which  you  felt  you  would  risk  your  life  by 
coining  back  to  the  Louvre,  where  you  know  your  head  is 
worth  its  weight  in  gold.  We  are  not  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  you,  as  well  as  the  King  of  Navarre  and  the  Prince 
de  Conde",  are  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Huguenots." 

"  If  you  think  that,  monseigneur,  act  towards  me  as  the  brother 
of  King  Charles  and  the  son  of  Queen  Catharine  should  act." 

"  Why  should  you  wish  me  to  act  in  that  way,  when  I  have 
told  you  that  I  am  a  friend  of  yours  ?  Tell  me  the  truth." 

"  Monseigneur,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  I  swear  to  you  "  — 

"  Do  not  swear,  monseigneur ;  the  reformed  church  forbids 
the  taking  of  oaths,  and  especially  of  false  oaths." 

De  Mouy  frowned. 

"  I  tell  you  I  know  all,"  continued  the  duke. 

De  Mouy  was  still  silent. 

"  You  doubt  it  ?  "  said  the  prince  with  affected  persistence. 
"  Well,  my  dear  De  Mouy,  we  shall  have  to  be  convinced. 
Come,  now,  you  shall  judge  if  I  am  wrong.  Did  you  or 
did  you  not  propose  to  my  brother-in-law  Henry,  in  his  room 


A    NEW    CONVERT.  231 

just  now,"  the  duke  pointed  to  the  chamber  of  the  Bearnais, 
"  your  aid  and  that  of  your  followers  to  reinstate  him  in  his 
kingdom  of  Navarre  ?  " 

De  Mouy  looked  at  the  duke  with  a  startled  gaze. 

"  A  proposition  which  he  refused  with  terror." 

De  Mouy  was  still  amazed. 

"  Did  you  then  invoke  your  old  friendship,  the  remembrance 
of  a  common  religion  ?  Did  you  even  hold  out  to  the  King  of 
Navarre  a  very  brilliant  hope,  a  hope  so  brilliant  that  he  was 
dazzled  by  it  —  the  hope  of  winning  the  crown  of  France  ? 
Come,  tell  me ;  am  I  well  informed  ?  Is  that  what  you  came 
to  propose  to  the  Bearnais  ?  " 

"  Monseigneur ! "  cried  De  Mouy,  "  this  is  so  true,  that  I 
now  wonder  if  I  should  not  tell  your  royal  highness  that  you 
have  lied !  to  arouse  in  this  chamber  a  combat  without  mercy, 
and  thus  to  make  sure  of  the  extinction  of  this  terrible  secret 
by  the  death  of  both  of  us." 

"  Gently,  my  brave  De  Mouy,  gently  ! "  said  the  Due  d'Alen- 
<jon  without  changing  countenance,  or  without  taking  the 
slightest  notice  of  this  terrible  threat. 

"  The  secret  will  die  better  with  us  if  we  both  live  than  if 
one  of  us  were  to  die.  Listen  to  me,  and  stop  pulling  at  the 
handle  of  your  sword.  For  the  third  time  I  .say  that  you  are 
with  a  friend.  Now  tell  me,  did  not  the  King  of  Navarre  re- 
fuse everything  you  offered  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monseigneur,  and  I  admit  it,  because  my  avowal  can 
compromise  only  myself." 

"  On  leaving  his  room  did  you  not  stamp  on  your  hat,  and  cry 
out  that  he  was  a  cowardly  prince,  and  unworthy  of  being  your 
leader  ? " 

"  That  is  true,  monseigneur,  I  said  that." 

"  Ah !  you  did  ?  you  admit  it  at  last  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  And  this  is  still  your  opinion  ?  " 

"  More  than  ever,  monseigneur." 

"  Well,  am  I,  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  I,  the  third  son  of  Henry 
II.,  I,  a  son  of  France,  am  I  a  good  enough  gentleman  to 
command  your  soldiers  ?  Come,  now ;  do  you  think  me  loyal 
enough  for  you  to  trust  my  word  ?  " 

"  You,  monseigneur  !  you,  the  leader  of  the  Huguenots  !  " 

"  Why  not  ?  This  is  an  epoch  of  conversions,  you  know. 
Henry  has  turned  Catholic ;  I  can  turn  Protestant." 


232  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Yes,  no  doubt,  monseigneur  ;  so  I  am  waiting  for  you  to 
explain  to  me  "  — 

"  Nothing  is  easier  ;  and  in  two  words  I  can  tell  you  the 
policy  of  every  one.  My  brother  Charles  kills  the  Huguenots 
in  order  to  reign  more  freely.  My  brother  of  Anjou  lets  them 
be  killed  because  he  is  to  succeed  my  brother  Charles,  and  be- 
cause, as  you  know,  my  brother  Charles  is  often  ill.  But  with 
me  it  is  entirely  different.  I  shall  never  reign  —  at  least  in 
France  —  as  long  as  I  have  two  elder  brothers.  The  hatred  of 
my  mother  and  of  my  two  brothers  more  than  the  law  of  nature 
keeps  me  from  the  throne.  I  have  no  claim  to  any  family 
affection,  any  glory,  or  any  kingdom.  Yet  I  have  a  heart  as 
great  as  my  elder  brother's.  Well,  De  Mouy,  I  want  to  look 
about  and  with  my  sword  cut  a  kingdom  out  of  this  France 
they  cover  with  blood  Now  this  is  what  I  want,  De  Mouy, 
listen  :  I  want  to  be  King  of  Navarre,  not  by  birth  but  by 
election.  And  note  well  that  you  have  no  objection  to  this 
system.  I  am  not  a  usurper,  since  my  brother  refuses  your 
offers,  and  buries  himself  in  his  torpor,  and  pretends  aloud 
that  this  kingdom  of  Navarre  is  only  a  myth.  With  Henry  of 
Beam  you  have  nothing.  With  me,  you  have  a  sword  and  a 
name,  Francois  d'Alenqon,  son  of  France,  protector  of  all 
his  companions  or  all  his  accomplices,  as  you  are  pleased  to 
call  them.  Well,  what  do  you  say  to  this  offer,  Monsieur  de 
Mouy  ?  " 

"I  say  that  it  dazzles  me,  monseigneur." 

"  De  Mouy,  De  Mouy,  we  shall  have  many  obstacles  to  over- 
come. Do  not,  therefore,  from  the  first  be  so  exacting  and  so 
obstinate  towards  the  son  of  a  king  and  the  brother  of  a  king 
who  comes  to  you." 

"Monseigneur,  the  matter  would  be  already  settled  if  my 
opinion  were  the  only  one  to  be  considered,  but  we  have  a 
council,  and  brilliant  as  the  offer  may  be,  perhaps  even  on  that 
very  account  the  leaders  of  the  party  will  not  consent  to  the 
plan  unconditionally." 

"  That  is  another  thing,  and  your  answer  comes  from  an 
honest  heart  and  a  prudent  mind.  From  the  way  I  have  just 
acted,  De  Mouy,  you  must  have  recognized  my  honesty.  Treat 
me,  therefore,  on  your  part  as  a  man  who  is  esteemed,  not  as  a 
man  who  is  nattered.  De  Mouy,  have  I  any  chance  ?  " 

"  On   my   word,  monseigneur,  since   your   highness  wants 


A    NEW    CONVERT.  233 

me  to  give  my  opinion,  your  highness  has  every  chance,  since 
the  King  of  Navarre  has  refused  the  offer  I  have  just  made 
him.  But  I  tell  you  again,  monseigneur,  I  shall  have  to  con- 
fer with  our  leaders." 

"  Do  so,  monsieur,"  replied  D'Alenqon.  "  But  when  shall  I 
have  an  answer  ?  " 

De  Mouy  looked  at  the  prince  in  silence.  Then  apparently 
coming  to  a  decision  : 

"  Monseigneur,"  said  he,  "  give  me  your  hand.  I  must  have 
the  hand  of  a  son  of  France  touch  mine  to  make  sure  that  I 
shall  not  be  betrayed." 

The  duke  not  only  extended  his  hand  towards  De  Mouy,  but 
grasped  De  Mouy's  and  pressed  it. 

"  Now,  monseigneur,  I  am  satisfied,"  said  the  young  Hugue- 
not. "  If  we  were  betrayed  I  should  say  that  you  had  nothing 
to  do  with  it;  otherwise,  monseigneur,  however  slightly  you 
might  be  concerned  in  the  treason,  you  would  be  dishonored." 

"  Why  do  you  say  that  to  me,  De  Mouy,  before  telling  me 
that  you  will  bring  me  the  answer  from  your  leaders  ?  " 

"  Because,  monseigneur,  asking  me  when  you  would  have 
your  answer  was  the  same  as  asking  me  where  are  the  leaders, 
and  because  if  I  said  to  you,  '  This  evening,'  you  would  know 
that  the  chiefs  were  hiding  in  Paris."  As  he  uttered  these 
words,  with  a  gesture  of  mistrust,  De  Mouy  fixed  his  piercing 
glance  on  the  false  vacillating  eyes  of  the  young  man. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  duke,  "  you  still  have  doubts,  Mon- 
sieur de  Mouy.  But  I  cannot  expect  entire  confidence  from 
you  at  first.  You  will  understand  me  better  later.  We  shall 
be  bound  by  common  interests  which  will  rid  you  of  all  suspi- 
cion. You  say  this  evening,  then,  Monsieur  de  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monseigneur,  for  time  presses.  Until  this  evening. 
But  where  shall  I  see  you,  if  you  please  ?  " 

"  At  the  Louvre,  here  in  this  room ;  does  that  suit  you  ?  " 

"  Is  this  occupied  ?  "  said  De  Mouy,  glancing  at  the  two  beds 
opposite  each  other. 

"  By  two  of  my  gentlemen,  yes." 

"  Monseigneur,  it  seems  to  me  imprudent  to  return  to  the 
Louvre." 

"  Why  so  ?  " 

"  Because  if  you  have  recognized  me,  others  also  may  have 
as  good  eyes  as  your  highness,  and  may  recognize  me.  How- 


234  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

ever,  I  will  return  to  the  Louvre  if  you  will  grant  me  what  I 
am  about  to  ask  of  you." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  A  passport." 

"A  passport  from  me  found  on  you  would  ruin  me  and 
would  not  save  you.  I  can  do  nothing  for  you  unless  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world  we  are  strangers  to  each  other ;  the  slightest 
relation  between  us,  noticed  by  my  mother  or  my  brother, 
would  cost  me  my  life.  You  were  therefore  protected  by  my 
interest  for  myself  from  the  moment  I  compromised  myself 
with  the  others,  as  I  am  now  compromising  myself  with  you. 
Free  in  my  sphere  of  action,  strong  if  I  am  unknown,  so  long 
as  I  myself  remain  impenetrable,  I  will  guarantee  you  every- 
thing. Do  not  forget  this.  Make  a  fresh  appeal  to  your 
courage,  therefore.  Try  on  my  word  of  honor  what  you  tried 
without  the  word  of  honor  of  my  brother.  Come  this  evening 
to  the  Louvre." 

"  But  how  do  you  wish  me  to  come  ?  I  can  not  venture  in 
these  rooms  in  my  present  uniform — it  is  for  the  vestibules 
and  the  courts.  My  own  is  still  more  dangerous,  since  every- 
one knows  me  here,  and  since  it  in  no  way  disguises  me." 

"  Therefore  I  will  look  —  wait  —  I  think  that  —  yes,  here 
it  is." 

The  duke  had  looked  around  him,  and  his  eyes  stopped  at 
La  Mole's  clothes,  thrown  temporarily  on  the  bed  ;  that  is,  on 
the  magnificent  cherry-colored  cloak  embroidered  in  gold,  of 
which  we  have  already  spoken  ;  on  a  cap  ornamented  with  a 
white  plume  surrounded  by  a  rope  of  gold  and  silver  marguer- 
ites, and  finally  on  a  pearl-gray  satin  and  gold  doublet. 

"  Do  you  see  this  cloak,  this  plume,  and  this  doublet  ?  "  said 
the  duke ;  "  they  belong  to  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  one  of  my 
gentlemen,  a  fop  of  the  highest  type.  The  cloak  was  the  rage 
at  court,  and  when  he  wore  it,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  was  rec- 
ognized a  hundred  feet  away.  I  will  give  you  the  address  of  the 
tailor  who  made  it  for  him.  By  paying  him  double  what  it  is 
worth,  you  will  have  one  exactly  like  it  by  this  evening.  You 
will  remember  the  name  of  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  will  you  not  ?  " 

Scarcely  had  the  Due  d'AlenQon  finished  making  the  sug- 
gestion, when  a  step  was  heard  approaching  in  the  corridor, 
and  a  key  was  turned  in  the  lock. 

"  Who  is  that  ?  "  cried  the  duke,  rushing  to  the  door  and 
drawing  the  bolt. 


A    NEW    CONVERT.  235 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  replied  a  voice  from  outside  ;  "  I  find  that  a 
strange  question.  Who  are  you  yourself  ?  This  is  pleasant ! 
I  return  to  my  own  room,  and  am  asked  who  I  am ! " 

"  Is  it  you,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  I,  without  a  doubt.     But  who  are  you  ?  " 

While  La  Mole  was  expressing  his  surprise  at  finding  his 
room  occupied,  and  while  he  was  trying  to  discover  its  new 
occupant,  the  Due  d'Alenqon  turned  quickly,  one  hand  on  the 
lock,  the  other  on  the  key. 

"  Do  you  know  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  "  he  asked  of  De  Mouy. 

"  No,  monseigneur." 

"  Does  he  know  you  ?  " 

« I  think  not." 

"  In  that  case  it  will  be  all  right.  Appear  to  be  looking 
out  of  the  window." 

De  Mouy  obeyed  in  silence,  for  La  Mole  was  beginning  to 
grow  impatient,  and  was  knocking  on  the  door  with  all  his 
might. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  threw  a  last  glance  towards  De  Mouy, 
and  seeing  that  his  back  was  turned,  he  opened  the  door. 

"Monseigneur  le  Due!"  cried  La  Mole,  stepping  back  in 
surprise.  "  Oh,  pardon,  pardon,  monseigneur  !  " 

"  It  is  nothing,  monsieur ;  I  needed  your  room  to  receive  a 
visitor." 

"  Certainly,  monseigneur,  certainly.  But  allow  me,  I  beg 
you,  to  take  my  cloak  and  hat  from  the  bed,  for  I  lost  both 
to-night  on  the  quay  of  the  Greve,  where  I  was  attacked  by 
robbers." 

"  In  fact,  monsieur,"  said  the  prince,  smiling,  himself 
handing  to  La  Mole  the  articles  asked  for,  "  you  are  very 
poorly  accommodated  here.  You  have  had  an  encounter  with 
some  very  obstinate  fellows,  apparently  ! " 

The  duke  handed  to  La  Mole  the  cloak  and  the  hat.  The 
young  man  bowed  and  withdrew  to  the  antechamber  to  change 
his  clothes,  paying  no  attention  to  what  the  duke  was  doing 
in  his  room ;  for  it  was  an  ordinary  occurrence  at  the  Louvre 
for  the  rooms  of  the  gentlemen  to  be  used  as  reception-rooms 
by  the  prince  to  whom  the  latter  were  attached. 

De  Mouy  then  approached  the  duke,  and  both  listened  for 
La  Mole  to  finish  and  go  out ;  but  when  the  latter  had  changed 
his  clothes,  he  himself  saved  them  all  further  trouble  by  draw- 
ing near  to  the  door. 


236  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Pardon  me,  monseigneur,"  said  he,  "  but  did  your  high- 
ness meet  the  Count  de  Coconnas  on  your  way  ?  " 

"  No,  count,  and  yet  he  was  at  service  this  morning." 

"  In  that  case  they  will  assassinate  me,"  said  La  Mole  to 
himself  as  he  went  away. 

The  duke  heard  the  noise  of  his  retreating  steps;  then 
opening  the  door  and  drawing  De  Mouy  after  him  : 

"  Watch  him  going  away,"  said  he,  "  and  try  to  copy  his 
inimitable  walk." 

"  I  will  do  my  best,"  replied  De  Mouy.  "  Unfortunately  I 
am  not  a  lady's  man,  but  a  soldier." 

"At  all  events  I  shall  expect  you  in  this  corridor  before 
midnight.  If  the  chamber  of  my  gentlemen  is  free,  I  will 
receive  you  there ;  if  not,  we  will  find  another." 

"  Yes,  monseigneur." 

"  Until  this  evening  then,  before  midnight." 

"  Until  this  evening,  before  midnight." 

"  Ah  !  by  the  way,  De  Mouy,  swing  your  right  arm  a  good 
deal  as  you  walk.  This  is  a  peculiar  trick  of  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole's." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE    RUE    TIZON    AND    THE    RUE    CLOCHE    PERC12E. 

LA  MOLE  hurriedly  left  the  Louvre,  and  set  out  to  search 
Paris  for  poor  Coconnas. 

His  first  move  was  to  repair  to  the  Rue  de  PArbre  Sec  and 
to  enter  Maitre  La  Huriere's,  for  La  Mole  remembered  that  he 
had  often  repeated  to  the  Piedmontese  a  certain  Latin  motto 
which  was  meant  to  prove  that  Love,  Bacchus,  and  Ceres  are 
gods  absolutely  necessary  to  us,  and  he  hoped  that  Coconnas, 
to  follow  up  the  Roman  aphorism,  had  gone  to  the  Belle  Etoilv 
after  a  night  which  must  have  been  as  full  for  his  friend  as  it 
had  been  for  himself. 

La  Mole  found  nothing  at  La  Huriere's  except  the  reminder 
of  the  assumed  obligation.  A  breakfast  which  was  offered 
with  good  grace  was  eagerly  accepted  by  our  gentleman,  in 
spite  of  his  anxiety.  His  stomach  calmed  in  default  of  his 
mind,  La  Mole  resumed  his  walk,  ascending  the  bank  of  the 
Seine  like  a  husband  searching  for  his  drowned  wife.  On  reach- 


•>,; 


'MONSIEUR   DE  LA  MOLE !"  EXCLAIMED  A  SWEET  VOICE  FROM  THE  LITTER 


RUE   TIZON  AND   THE  RUE   CLOCHE  PERCEE.     237 

ing  the  quay  of  the  Greve,  he  recognized  the  place  where,  as  he 
had  said  to  Monsieur  d'Alengon,  he  had  been  stopped  during 
his  nocturnal  tramp  three  or  four  hours  before.  This  was  no 
unusual  thing  in  Paris,  older  by  a  hundred  years  than  that  in 
which  Boileau  was  awakened  at  the  sound  of  a  ball  piercing  his 
window  shutter.  A  bit  of  the  plume  from  his  hat  remained 
on  the  battle-field.  The  sentiment  of  possession  is  innate  in 
man.  La  Mole  had  ten  plumes  each  more  beautiful  than  the 
last,  and  yet  he  stopped  to  pick  up  that  one,  or,  rather,  the  sole 
fragment  of  what  remained  of  it,  and  was  contemplating  it 
with  a  pitiful  air  when  he  heard  the  sound  of  heavy  steps 
approaching,  and  rough  voices  ordering  him  to  stand  aside. 
La  Mole  raised  his  head  and  perceived  a  litter  preceded  by 
two  pages  and  accompanied  by  an  outrider.  La  Mole  thought 
he  recognized  the  litter,  and  quickly  stepped  aside. 

The  young  man  was  not  mistaken. 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  !  "  exclaimed  a  sweet  voice  from  the 
litter,  while  a  hand  as  white  and  as  smooth  as  satin  drew  back 
the  curtains. 

"  Yes,  madame,  in  person,"  replied  La  Mole  bowing. 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  with  a  plume  in  his  hand,"  con- 
tinued the  lady  in  the  litter.  "  Are  you  in  love,  my  dear 
monsieur,  and  are  you  recovering  lost  traces  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  I  am  in  love,  and  very 
much  so.  But  just  now  these  are  my  own  traces  that  I  have 
found,  although  they  are  not  those  for  which  I  am  searching. 
But  will  your  majesty  permit  me  to  inquire  after  your 
health  ?  " 

"It  is  excellent,  monsieur;  it  seems  to  me  that  I  have 
never  been  better.  This  probably  comes  from  the  fact  of  my 
having  spent  the  night  in  retreat." 

"  Ah !  in  retreat !  "  said  La  Mole,  looking  at  Marguerite 
strangely. 

"  Well,  yes  ;  what  is  there  surprising  in  that  ?  " 

"  May  I,  without  indiscretion,  ask  you  in  what  convent  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  monsieur,  I  make  no  mystery  of  it ;  in  the  con- 
vent of  the  Annonciade.  But  what  are  you  doing  here  with 
this  startled  air  ?  " 

"Madame,  I  too  passed  the  night  in  retreat,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  same  convent.  This  morning  I  am  looking  for 
my  friend  who  has  disappeared,  and  in  seeking  him  I  came 
upon  this  plume." 


238  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Whom  does  it  belong  to  ?  Really,  you  frighten  me  about 
him ;  the  place  is  a  bad  one." 

"  Your  majesty  may  be  reassured ;  the  plume  belongs  to  me. 
I  lost  it  here  about  half-past  five,  as  I  was  escaping  from  the 
hands  of  four  bandits  who  tried  with  all  their  might  to  murder 
me,  or  at  least  I  think  they  did." 

Marguerite  repressed  a  quick  gesture  of  terror. 

"  Oh  !  tell  me  about  it ! "  said  she. 

"  Nothing  is  easier,  madame.  It  was,  as  I  have  had  the 
honor  to  tell  your  majesty,  about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning." 

"  And  you  were  already  out  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing ?  "  interrupted  Marguerite. 

"  Your  majesty  will  excuse  me,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  had  not 
yet  returned." 

"  Ah  !  Monsieur  de  la  Mole !  you  returned  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning ! "  said  Marguerite  with  a  smile  which  was 
fatal  for  every  one,  and  which  La  Mole  was  unfortunate 
enough  to  find  adorable ;  "  you  returned  so  late,  you  merited 
this  punishment!  " 

"  Therefore  I  do  not  complain,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  bow- 
ing respectfully,  "  and  I  should  have  been  cut  to  pieces  had  I 
not  considered  myself  a  hundred  times  more  fortunate  than  I 
deserve  to  be.  But  I  was  returning  late,  or  early,  as  your 
majesty  pleases,  from  that  fortunate  house  in  which  I  had 
spent  the  night  in  retreat,  when  four  cut- throats  rushed  from 
the  Rue  de  la  Mortellerie  and  pursued  me  with  indescribably 
long  knives.  It  is  grotesque,  is  it  not,  madame  ?  but  it  is 
true  —  I  had  to  run  away,  for  I  had  forgotten  my  sword." 

"  Oh  !  I  understand,"  said  Marguerite,  with  an  admirably 
naive  manner,  "  and  you  have  come  back  to  find  your  sword  ?  " 

La  Mole  looked  at  Marguerite  as  though  a  suspicion  flashed 
through  his  mind. 

"  Madame,  I  would  return  to  some  place  and  very  willingly 
too,  since  my  sword  is  an  excellent  blade,  but  I  do  not  know 
where  the  house  is." 

"  What,  monsieur  ?  "  exclaimed  Marguerite.  "  You  do  not 
know  where  the  house  is  in  which  you  passed  the  night  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,  and  may  Satan  exterminate  me  if  I  have 
any  idea !  " 

"  Well  this  is  strange !  your  story,  then,  is  a  romance  ?  " 

"  A  true  romance,  as  you  say,  madame." 

"  Tell  it  to  me." 


RUE   T1ZON  AND   THE  RUE   CLOCHE  PERCEE.     239 

"  It  is  somewhat  long." 

"  Never  mind,  I  have  time." 

"  And,  above  all,  it  is  improbable." 

"  Never  mind,  no  one  could  be  more  credulous  than  I." 

"  Does  your  majesty  command  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes ;  if  necessary." 

"  In  that  case  I  obey.  Last  evening,  having  left  two 
idorable  women  with  whom  we  had  spent  the  evening  on  the 
Saint  Michel  bridge,  we  took  supper  at  Maitre  La  Huriere's." 

' "  In  the  first  place,"  said  Marguerite,  perfectly  naturally, 
'•'  who  is  Maitre  La  Huriere  ?  " 

"  Maitre  La  Huriere,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  again  glanc- 
ing at  Marguerite  with  the  suspicion  he  had  already  xfelt, 
•'<  Maitre  La  Huriere  is  the  host  of  the  inn  of  the  Belle  Etoile 
in  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec." 

"  Yes,  I  can  see  it  from  here.  You  were  supping,  then,  at 
Maitre  La  Huriere's  with  your  friend  Coconnas,  no  doubt  ?  " 

"Yes,  madame,  with  my  friend  Coconnas,  when  a  man  en- 
tered and  handed  us  each  a  note." 

"  Were  they  alike  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  Exactly  alike.     They  contained  only  a  single  line  : 

"  (  You  are  awaited  in  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine,  opposite  the 
Rue  Saint  Jouy. ' ' 

"  And  had  the  note  no  signature  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"No;  only  three  words — three  charming  words  which 
three  times  promised  the  same  thing,  that  is  to  say,  a  three- 
fold happiness." 

"  And  what  were  these  three  words  ?  " 

"  Eros,  Cupido,  Amor" 

"  In  short,  three  sweet  words  ;  and  did  they  fulfil  what  they 
promised  ?  " 

"  Oh !  more,  madame,  a  hundred  times  more ! "  cried 
La  Mole  with  enthusiasm. 

"  Continue.  I  am  curious  to  know  who  was  waiting  for  you 
in  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine,  opposite  the  Rue  de  Jouy." 

"  Two  duennas,  each  with  a  handkerchief  in  her  hand. 
They  said  we  must  let  them  bandage  our  eyes.  Your  majesty 
may  imagine  that  it  was  not  a  difficult  thing  to  have  done.  We 
bravely  extended  our  necks.  My  guide  turned  me  to  the  left,  my 
friend's  guide  turned  him  to  the  right,  and  we  were  separated." 
"  And  then  ?  "  continued  Marguerite,  who  seemed  deter- 
mined to  carry  out  the  investigation  to  the  end. 


240  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  La  Mole,  "  where  his  guide  led  my 
friend.  To  hell,  perhaps.  As  to  myself,  all  I  know  is  that 
mine  led  me  to  a  place  I  consider  paradise." 

"  And  whence,  no  doubt,  your  too  great  curiosity  drove 
you  ?  " 

"  Exactly,  madame ;  you  have  the  gift  of  divination.  I 
waited,  impatiently,  for  daylight,  that  I  might  see  where  I 
was,  when  at  half-past  four  the  same  duenna  returned,  again 
bandaged  my  eyes,  made  me  promise  not  to  try  to  raise  my 
bandage,  led  me  outside,  accompanied  me  for  a  hundred  feet, 
made  me  again  swear  not  to  remove  my  bandage  until  I  had 
counted  fifty  more.  I  counted  fifty,  and  found  myself  in  the 
Rue  Saint  Antoine,  opposite  the  Rue  de  Jouy." 

«  And  then  "  — 

"Then,  madame,  I  returned  so  happy  that  I  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  four  wretches,  from  whose  clutches  I  had  such 
difficulty  in  escaping.  Now,  madame,"  continued  La  Mole, 
"  in  finding  a  piece  of  my  plume  here,  my  heart  trembled  with 
joy,  and  I  picked  it  up,  promising  myself  to  keep  it  as  a 
souvenir  of  this  glad  night.  But  in  the  midst  of  my  happi- 
ness, one  thing  troubles  me  ;  that  is,  what  may  have  become 
of  my  companion." 

"  Has  he  not  returned  to  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"  Alas  !  no,  madame  !  I  have  searched  everywhere,  in  the 
atoile  d'Or,  on  the  tennis  courts,  and  in  many  other  respect- 
able places  ;  but  no  Annibal,  and  no  Coconnas  " 

As  La  Mole  uttered  these  words  he  accompanied  them  with 
a  gesture  of  hopelessness,  extended  his  arms  and  opened  his 
cloak,  underneath  which  at  various  points  his  doublet  was  seen, 
the  lining  of  which  showed  through  the  rents  like  so  many 
elegant  slashes. 

"  Why,  you  were  riddled  through  and  through  !  "  exclaimed 
Marguerite. 

"  Riddled  is  the  word  !  "  said  La  Mole,  who  was  not  sorry 
to  turn  to  his  account  the  danger  he  had  run.  "  See,  madame, 
see !  " 

"  Why  did  you  not  change  your  doublet  at  the  Louvre,  since 
you  returned  there  ?  "  asked  the  queen. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  La  Mole,  "  because  some  one  was  in  my  room." 

"  Some  one  in  your  room  ?  "  said  Marguerite,  whose  eyes  ex- 
pressed the  greatest  astonishment ;  "  who  was  in  your  room  ?  " 

"  His  higlmess." 


RUE    T1ZON  AND   THE  RUE   CLOCHE  PERCEE.      241 

"  Hush  !  "  interrupted  Marguerite. 

The  young  man  obeyed. 

"  Qui  ad  lecticam  meam  stant  ?  "  she  asked  La  Mole. 
•    "  Duo  pueri  et  unus  eques." 

"  Optime,  barbari  !  "  said  she.  "  Die,  Moles,  quern  inveneris 
in  biculo  tuo  ?  " 

(l  Franciscum  ducem." 

"  Agentem  ?  " 

" Nescio  quid" 

"  Quocum  ?  " 

"  Cum  iynoto."  ' 

"  That  is  strange,"  said  Marguerite.  "  So  you  were  unable 
to  find  Coconnas  ?  "  she  continued,  without  evidently  thinking 
of  what  she  was  saying. 

"  So,  madame,  as  I  have  had  the  honor  of  telling  you,  I  am 
really  dying  of  anxiety." 

"  Well,"  said  Marguerite,  sighing,  "  I  do  not  wish  to  detain 
you  longer  in  your  search  for  him  ;  I  do  not  know  why  I 
think  so,  but  he  will  find  himself  !  Never  mind,  however,  go, 
in  spite  of  this." 

The  queen  laid  a  finger  on  her  lips.  But  as  beautiful  Mar- 
guerite had  confided  no  secret,  had  made  no  avowal  to  La 
Mole,  the  young  man  understood  that  this  charming  gesture, 
meaning  only  to  impose  silence  on  him,  must  have  another 
significance. 

The  procession  resumed  its  march,  and  La  Mole,  intent  on 
following  out  his  investigation,  continued  to  ascend  the  quay 
as  far  as  the  Rue  Long  Pont  which  led  him  to  the  Rue  Saint 
Antoine. 

Opposite  the  Rue  Jouy  he  stopped.  It  was  there  that  the 
previous  evening  the  two  duennas  had  bandaged  his  eyes  and 
those  of  Coconnas.  He  had  turned  to  the  left,  then  he  had 
counted  twenty  steps.  He  repeated  this  and  found  himself 
opposite  a  house,  or  rather  a  wall,  behind  which  rose  a  house ; 
in  this  wall  was  a  door  with  a  shed  over  it  ornamented  with 
large  nails  and  loop-holes. 

"  Who  are  standing  by  nay  litter?  " 

1  Two  pages  and  an  outrider." 

'Good!    They  are  barbarians!    Tell  me,  La  Mole,  whom  did  yon  find  in  your  room  ?" 

'Duke  Francois." 

'  Doing  what?" 

'I  do  not  know." 

'  Wilh  whom?  " 

'  With  a  stranger." 


242  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

The  house  was  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee,  a  small  narrow  street 
beginning  in  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine  and  ending  in  the  Rue 
Roi  de  Sicile. 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  cried  La  Mole,  "  it  was  here  —  I  would  swear 
to  it  —  in  extending  my  hand,  as  I  came  out,  I  felt  the  nails 
in  the  door,  then  I  descended  two  steps.  The  man  who  ran 
by  crying  '  Help ! '  who  was  killed  in  the  Rue  Roi  de  Sicile, 
passed  just  as  I  reached  the  first.  Let  us  see,  now." 

La  Mole  went  to  the  door  and  knocked.  The  door  opened 
and  a  mustached  janitor  appeared. 

"  Was  ist  das  ?  "  (Who  is  that  ?)  asked  the  janitor. 

"  Ah  !  ah ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  we  are  Swiss,  apparently.  "  My 
friend,"  he  continued,  assuming  the  most  charming  manner, 
"  I  want  my  sword  which  I  left  in  this  house  in  which  1 
spent  the  night." 

"Ich  verstehe  nicht"  (I  do  not  understand,)  replied  the 
janitor. 

"  My  sword,"  went  on  La  Mole. 

"  Ich  verstehe  nicht,"  repeated  the  janitor. 

"  —  which  I  left  —  my  sword  which  I  left "  — 

"  Ich  verstehe  nicht" 

"  —  in  this  house,  in  which  I  spent  the  night." 

"  Gehe  zum  Teufel !  "  (Go  to  the  devil ! )  And  he  slammed 
the  door  in  La  Mole's  face. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  cried  La  Mole,  "  if  I  had  this  sword  I  have 
just  asked  for,  I  would  gladly  put  it  through  that  fellow's 
body.  But  I  have  not,  and  this  must  wait  for  another  day." 

Thereupon  La  Mole  continued  his  way  to  the  Rue  Roi  de 
Sicile,  took  about  fifty  steps  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left 
again,  and  came  to  the  Rue  Tizon,  a  little  street  running 
parallel  with  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee,  and  like  it  in  every  way. 
More  than  this,  scarcely  had  he  gone  thirty  steps  before  he 
came  upon  the  door  with  the  large  nails,  with  its  shed  and 
loop-holes,  the  two  steps  and  the  Avail.  One  would  have  said 
that  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee  had  returned  to  see  him  pass  by. 

La  Mole  then  reflected  that  he  might  have  mistaken  his 
right  for  his  left,  and  he  knocked  at  this  door,  to  make  the 
same  demand  he  had  made  at  the  other.  But  this  time  he 
knocked  in  vain.  The  door  was  not  opened. 

Two  or  three  times  La  Mole  made  the  same  trip,  which 
naturally  led  him  to  the  idea  that  the  house  had  two  entrances, 
one  on  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee,  the  other  on  the  Rue  Tizon. 


RUE   TIZON  AND   THE  RUE   CLOCHE  PERC&E.      243 

But  this  conclusion,  logical  as  it  was,  did  not  bring  him  back 
his  sword,  and  did  not  tell  him  where  his  friend  was.  For  an 
instant  he  conceived  the  idea  of  buying  another  sword  and 
cutting  to  pieces  the  wretched  janitor  who  so  persistently  refused 
to  speak  anything  but  German,  but  he  thought  this  porter 
belonged  to  Marguerite,  and  that  if  Marguerite  had  chosen  thus, 
it  was  because  she  had  her  reasons,  and  that  it  might  be  dis- 
agreeable for  her  to  be  deprived  of  him. 

Now  La  Mole  would  not  have  done  anything  disagreeable  to 
Marguerite  for  anything  in  the  world. 

Fearing  to  yield  to  this  temptation  he  returned  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  to  the  Louvre. 

As  his  room  was  not  occupied  this  time  he  could  enter  it. 
The  matter  was  urgent  enough  as  far  as  his  doublet  was  con- 
cerned, which,  as  the  queen  had  already  remarked  to  him,  was 
considerably  torn. 

He  therefore  at  once  approached  his  bed  to  substitute  the 
beautiful  pearl-gray  doublet  for  the  one  he  wore,  when  to  his 
great  surprise  the  first  thing  he  perceived  near  the  pearl-gray 
doublet  was  the  famous  sword  which  he  had  left  in  the  Rue 
Cloche  Percee. 

La  Mole  took  it  and  turned  it  over  and  over. 

It  was  really  his. 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  said  he,  "  is  there  some  magic  under  all  this  ?  " 
Then  with  a  sigh,  "  Ah!  if  poor  Coconnas  could  be  found  like 
my  sword ! " 

Two  or  three  hours  after  La  Mole  had  ceased  his  circular 
tramp  around  the  small  double  house,  the  door  on  the  Rue 
Tizon  had  opened.  It  was  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
consequently  night  had  closed  in. 

A  woman  wrapped  in  a  long  cloak  trimmed  with  fur,  accom- 
panied by  an  attendant,  came  out  of  the  door  which  was  held 
open  by  a  duenna  of  forty,  and  hurrying  rapidly  along  to  the 
Rue  Roi  de  Sicile,  knocked  at  a  small  door  of  the  Hotel 
Argenson,  which  opened  for  her ;  she  then  left  by  the  main 
entrance  of  the  same  hotel  which  opened  on  to  the  Vieille 
Rue  du  Temple,  went  toward  a  small  postern  in  the  Hotel  de 
Guise,  unlocked  it  with  a  key  which  she  carried  in  her  pocket, 
and  disappeared. 

Half  an  hour  later  a  young  man  with  bandaged  eyes  left 
by  the  same  door  of  the  small  house,  guided  by  a  woman  who 
led  him  to  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Geoffrey  Lasnier  and  La 


244  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

Mortellerie.  There  she  asked,  him  to  count  fifty  steps  and 
then  remove  his  bandage. 

The  young  man  carefully  obeyed  the  order,  and  when  he 
had  counted  fifty,  removed  the  handkerchief  from  his  eyes. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  cried  he,  .looking  around.  "  I'll  be  hanged 
if  I  know  where  I  am  !  Six  o'clock  ! "  he  cried,  as  the  clock 
of  Notre-Dame  struck,  "  and  poor  La  Mole,  what  can  have  be- 
come of  him  ?  Let  us  run  to  the  Louvre,  perhaps  they  may 
have  news  of  him  there." 

Coconnas  hurriedly  descended  the  Rue  La  Mortellerie,  and 
reached  the  gates  of  the  Louvre  in  less  time  than  it  would 
have  taken  an  ordinary  horse.  As  he  went  he  jostled  and 
knocked  down  the  moving  hedge  of  brave  bourgeois  who  were 
walking  peacefully  about  the  shops  of  the  Place  de  Baudoyer, 
and  entered  the  palace. 

There  he  questioned  the  Swiss  and  the  sentinel.  The 
former  thought  they  had  seen  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  enter  that 
morning,  but  had  not  seen  him  go  out. 

The  sentinel  had  been  there  only  an  hour  and  a  half  and 
had  seen  nothing. 

He  ran  to  his  room  and  hastily  threw  open  the  door ;  but  he 
found  only  the  torn  doublet  of  La  Mole  on  the  bed,  which  in- 
creased his  fears  still  more. 

Then  he  thought^  of  La  Huriere  and  hastened  to  the  worthy 
inn  of  the  Belle  Etoile.  La  Huriere  had  seen  La  Mole ;  La 
Mole  had  breakfasted  there.  Coconnas  was  thus  wholly  re- 
assured, and  as  he  was  very  hungry  he  ordered  supper. 

Conconnas  was  in  the  two  moods  necessary  for  a  good 
supper  —  his  mind  was  relieved  and  his  stomach  was  empty  ; 
therefore  he  supped  so  well  that  the  meal  lasted  till  eight 
o'clock.  Then  strengthened  by  two  bottles  of  light  wine  from 
Anjou,  of  which  he  was  very  fond  and  which  he  tossed  off 
with  a  sensual  enjoyment  shown  by  winks  of  his  eyes  and 
repeated  smacking  of  his  lips,  he  set  out  again  in  his  search 
for  La  Mole,  accompanying  it  through  the  crowd  by  kicks  and 
knocks  of  his  feet  in  proportion  to  the  increasing  friendship 
inspired  in  him  by  the  comfort  which  always  follows  a  good 
meal. 

That  lasted  one  hour,  during  which  time  Coconnas  searched 
every  street  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Quay  of  the  Greve,  the  Port 
au  Charbon,  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine,  and  the  Rues  Tizon  and 
Cloche  Perce*e,  to  which  he  thought  his  friend  might  have  re- 


RUE  TIZON  AND  THE  RUE  CLOCHE  PERCEE.  245 

turned.  Finally  he  bethought  himself  that  there  was  a  place 
through  which  he  had  to  pass,  the  gate  of  the  Louvre,  and  he 
resolved  to  wait  at  this  gate  until  his  return. 

He  was  not  more  than  a  hundred  steps  from  the  Louvre,  and 
had  just  put  on  her  feet  a  woman  whose  husband  he  had 
already  'overturned  on  the  Place  Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois, 
when  in  the  distance  he  perceived  before  him  in  the  doubtful 
light  of  a  great  lantern  near  the  drawbridge  of  the  Louvre  the 
cherry-colored  velvet  cloak  and  the  white  plume  of  his  friend, 
who  like  a  shadow  was  disappearing  under  the  gate  and  re- 
turning the  sentinel's  greeting. 

The  famous  cherry-colored  cloak  was  so  well  known  to 
every  one  that  he  could  not  be  mistaken  in  it. 

"  Well !  by  Heaven  !  "  cried  Coconnas ;  "  it  is  really  he  this 
time,  and  he  is  returning.  Well !  well !  La  Mole,  my  friend  ! 
Plague  it !  Yet  I  have  a  good  voice.  How  does  it  happen 
that  he  does  not  hear  me  ?  Fortunately  I  have  as  good  legs 
as  I  have  voice,  so  I  will  join  him." 

In  this  hope  Coconnas  set  cut  as  fast  as  he  could,  and 
reached  the  Louvre  in  an  instant,  but,  fast  as  he  was,  just  as 
he  stepped  into  the  court  the  red  cloak,  which  seemed  in  haste 
also,  disappeared  in  the  vestibule. 

"  Hi  there !  La  Mole !  "  cried  Coconnas,  still  hastening. 
"  Wait  for  me.  It  is  I,  Coconnas.  What  in  the  devil  are  you 
hurrying  so  for  ?  Are  you  running  away  ?  " 

In  fact  the  red  cloak,  as  though  it  had  wings,  scaled  the 
stairs  rather  than  mounted  them. 

"  Ah  !  you  will  not  hear  me  !  "  cried  Coconnas.  "  I  ain 
angry  with  you !  Are  you  sorry  ?  Well,  the  devil  !  I  can  run 
no  further."  It  was  from  the  foot  of  the  staircase  that  Cocon- 
nas hurled  this  final  apostrophe  to  the  fugitive  whom  he  gave 
up  following  with  his  feet,  but  whom  he  still  followed  with  his 
eyes  through  the  screw  of  the  stairway,  and  who  had  reached 
Marguerite's  chamber.  Suddenly  a  woman  came  out  of  this 
room  and  took  the  arm  of  the  man  Coconnas  was  following. 

"  Oh !  oh  ! "  said  Coconnas,  "  that  looked  very  much  like 
Queen  Marguerite.  He  was  expected.  In  that  case  it  is  dif- 
ferent. I  understand  why  he  did  not  answer  me." 

Crouching  down  by  the  banister  he  looked  through  the 
opening  of  the  stairway.  Then  after  a  few  words  in  a  low 
voice  he  saw  the  red  cloak  follow  the  queen  to  her  apartments. 

"  Good  !  good  ! "  said  Coconuas,  "  that  is  it.     I  was  not  uiis- 


246  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

taken.  There  are  moments  when  the  presence  of  our  best 
friend  is  necessary  to  us,  and  dear  La  Mole  has  one  of  those 
moments." 

And  Coconnas  ascending  the  stairs  softly  sat  down  on  a 
velvet  bench  which  ornamented  the  landing  place,  and  said  to 
himself : 

"  Very  well,  instead  of  joining  him  I  will  wait  —  yes  ;  but," 
he  added,  "  I  think  as  he  is  with  the  Queen  of  Navarre  I  may 
have  to  wait  long  —  it  is  cold,  by  Heaven  !  Well !  well !  I  can 
wait  just  as  well  in  my  room.  He  will  have  to  come  there 
sometime." 

Scarcely  had  he  finished  speaking,  and  started  to  carry  out 
his  resolution,  when  a  quick  light  step  sounded  above  him, 
accompanied  by  a  snatch  of  song  so  familiar  that  Coconnas  at 
once  turned  his  head  in  the  direction  of  the  step  and  the  song. 
It  was  La  Mole  descending  from  the  upper  story,  where  his 
room  was.  When  he  perceived  Coconnas,  he  began  to  descend 
the  stairs  four  steps  at  a  time,  and  this  done  he  threw  himself 
into  his  arms. 

"  Oh,  Heavens !  is  it  you  ?  "  said  Coconnas.  "  How  the  devil 
did  you  get  out  ?  " 

"  By  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee,  by  Heavens  !  " 

"  No,  I  do  not  mean  that  house." 

«  What  then  ?  " 

"  The  queen's  apartment." 

"  The  queen's  apartment  ?  " 

"  The  Queen  of  Navarre." 

"  I  have  not  been  there." 

"  Come  now ! " 

"  My  dear  Annibal,"  said  La  Mole,  "  you  are  out  of  your 
head.  I  have  come  from  my  room  where  I  have  been  waiting 
for  you  for  two  hours." 

"  You  have  come  from  your  room  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Was  it  not  you  I  followed  from  the  Place  du  Louvre  ?  " 

"  When  ?  " 

"Just  now." 

"No." 

"  It  was  not  you  who  disappeared  under  the  gate  ten  minutes 
ago  ?  " 

"No." 


RUE   TIZON  AND   THE  RUE   CLOCHE  PERCEE.      247 

"  It  was  not  you  who  just  ascended  the  stairs  as  if  you  were 
pursued  by  a  legion  of  devils  ?  " 

«  No." 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  cried  Coconnas, "  the  wine  of  the  Belle  Etoile 
is  not  poor  enough  to  have  so  completely  turned  my  head.  I 
tell  you  that  I  have  just  seen  your  cherry-colored  cloak  and 
your  white  plume  under  the  gate  of  the  Louvre,  that  I  fol- 
lowed both  to  the  foot  of  the  stairway,  and  that  your  cloak, 
your  plume,  everything,  to  your  swinging  arm,  was  expected 
here  by  a  lady  whom  I  greatly  suspect  to  be  the  Queen  of 
Navarre,  and  who  led  you  through  that  door,  which,  unless  I 
am  mistaken,  is  that  of  the  beautiful  Marguerite." 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  cried  La  Mole,  growing  pale,  "  could  there 
be  treason  ?  " 

"  Very  good ! "  said  Coconnas,  "  swear  as  much  as  you  please, 
but  do  not  tell  me  I  am  mistaken." 

La  Mole  hesitated  an  instant,  pressing  his  head  between  his 
hands,  deterred  by  respect  and  jealousy.  His  jealousy  con- 
quered him,  however,  and  he  hastened  to  the  door,  at  which  he 
knocked  with  all  his  might.  This  caused  a  somewhat  unusual 
hubbub  considering  the  dignity  of  the  place  in  which  it 
occurred. 

"  We  shall  be  arrested,"  said  Coconnas,  "  but  no  matter,  it 
is  very  funny.  Tell  me,  La  Mole,  are  there  ghosts  in  the 
Louvre  ?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  about  it,"  said  the  young  man  as  pale  as 
the  plume  which  shaded  his  brow  ;  "  but  I  have  always  wanted 
to  see  one,  and  as  the  opportunity  presents  itself  I  shall  do  my 
best  to  come  face  to  face  with  this  one." 

"  I  shall  not  prevent  you,"  said  Coconnas,  "  only  knock  a 
little  less  fiercely  if  you  do  not  wish  to  frighten  it  away." 

La  Mole,  exasperated  as  he  was,  felt  the  justice  of  the 
remark,  and  began  to  knock  more  gently. 


248  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE    CHERRY-COLORED    CLOAK. 

COCONNAS  was  not  mistaken.  The  lady  who  had  stopped 
the  cavalier  of  the  cherry-colored  cloak  was  indeed  the  Queen 
of  Navarre.  As  to  the  cavalier,  our  reader  has  already  guessed, 
I  presume,  that  he  was  no  other  than  brave  De  Mouy.  Upon 
recognizing  the  Queen  of  Navarre  the  young  Huguenot  realized 
that  there  was  some  mistake  ;  but  he  dared  not  speak,  fearing 
a  cry  from  Marguerite  would  betray  him.  He  preferred  to  let 
himself  be  led  to  her  apartments,  and  when  once  there  to 
say  to  his  beautiful  guide: 

"  Silence  for  silence,  madame." 

Marguerite  had  gently  pressed  the  arm  of  him  whom  in  the 
semi -darkness  she  had  mistaken  for  La  Mole,  and  leaning  tow- 
ard him  whispered  in  Latin : 

"  Sola  sum  ;  introito,  carissime."  1 

De  Mouy  without  answering  let  her  lead  him  along;  but 
scarcely  was  the  door  closed  behind  him  and  he  found  himself 
in  the  antechamber,  which  was  better  lighted  than  the  stair- 
way, before  Marguerite  saw  that  he  was  not  La  Mole. 

Thereupon  the  cry  which  the  cautious  Huguenot  had  feared 
escaped  Marguerite;  but  fortunately  there  was  no  further 
danger  from  it. 

"  Monsieur  de  Mouy !  "  cried  she,  stepping  back. 

"  In  person,  madame,  and  I  beg  your  majesty  to  leave  me 
free  to  continue  my  way  without  mentioning  my  presence  in 
the  Louvre  to  any  one." 

"  Oh  !  Monsieur  de  Mouy  !  "  reiterated  Marguerite,  "  I  was 
mistaken,  then  ! " 

"  Yes,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  I  understand.  Your  majesty  mis- 
took me  for  the  King  of  Navarre.  I  am  the  same  height,  I 
wear  the  same  white  plume,  and  many,  no  doubt  in  order  to 
flatter  me,  say  I  have  the  same  gait." 

Marguerite  looked  closely  at  De  Mouy. 

"  Do  you  understand  Latin,  Monsieur  de  Mouy  ? "  she 
asked. 

"  I  used  to  know  it,"  replied  the  young  man,  "  but  I  have 
forgotten  it." 

i  "  I  am  alone ;  enter,  my  dear." 


THE    CHERRY-COLORED    CLOAK.  249 

Marguerite  smiled. 

"  Monsieur  de  Mouy,"  said  she,  "  you  may  rely  on  my  dis- 
cretion. But  as  I  think  I  know  the  name  of  the  one  you  are 
seeking  in  the  Louvre,  I  will  offer  my  services  to  guide  you 
directly  to  him." 

"  Excuse  me,  madame,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  I  think  you  are  mis- 
taken, and  that  you  are  completely  ignorant  of" 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  "  are  you  not  looking  for 
the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Alas,  madame,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  I  regret  to  have  to  beg 
you  especially  to  conceal  my  presence  in  the  Louvre  from  your 
husband,  his  majesty  the  king." 

"  Listen,  Monsieur  de  Mouy,"  said  Marguerite  in  surprise, 
"  I  have  considered  you  until  now  one  of  the  strongest  leaders 
of  the  Huguenot  party,  and  one  of  the  most  faithful  partisans 
of  the  king  my  husband.  Am  I  mistaken  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,  for  this  very  morning  I  was  all  that  you  say." 

"  And  what  has  changed  you  since  this  morning  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  said  De  Mouy,  bowing,  "  kindly  excuse  me  from 
answering,  and  do  me  the  favor  to  accept  my  homage." 

De  Mouy,  respectful  but  firm,  started  towards  the  door. 

Marguerite  stopped  him. 

"  But,  monsieur,"  said  she,  "  if  I  were  to  ask  you  for  a  word 
of  explanation,  my  word  is  good,  it  seems  to  me  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  replied  De  Mouy,  "  I  am  obliged  to  keep  silent, 
and  this  duty  must  be  very  imperative  for  me  not  to  have 
answered  your  majesty." 

"  But,  monsieur  "  — 

"  Your  majesty  may  ruin  me,  madame,  but  you  cannot  ask 
me  to  betray  my  new  friends." 

"  But  the  old  ones,  monsieur,  have  they  too  not  some 
rights  ?  " 

"  Those  who  have  remained  true,  yes  ;  those  who  not  only 
have  abandoned  us,  but  themselves  as  well,  no." 

Marguerite,  thoughtful  and  anxious,  would  no  doubt  have 
answered  by  a  new  question,  had  not  Gillonne  suddenly  entered 
the  apartment. 

"  The  King  of  Navarre  !  "  she  cried. 

"  How  is  he  coming  ?  " 

"  By  the  secret  corridor." 

"  Take  monsieur  out  by  the  other." 

"  Impossible,  madame.     Listen." 


250  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Some  one  is  knocking  ?  " 

"  Yes,  at  the  door  to  which  you  wish  me  to  take  monsieur." 

«  Who  is  knocking  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  Go  and  see,  and  come  back  and  tell  me." 

"  Madame,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  might  I  venture  to  remark  to 
your  majesty  that  if  the  King  of  Navarre  sees  me  at  this  hour 
and  in  this  costume  in  the  Louvre,  I  am  lost  ?  " 

Marguerite  seized  De  Mouy  and  pushed  him  towards  the 
famous  cabinet. 

"  Step  in  here,  monsieur,"  said  she ;  "  you  will  be  as  safe 
and  as  well  protected  as  if  you  were  in  your  own  house  ;  I  give 
you  my  word  of  honor." 

De  Mouy  entered  hastily.  Scarcely  was  the  door  closed  when 
Henry  appeared. 

This  time  Marguerite  had  no  anxiety  to  hide  —  she  was 
merely  gloomy,  and  love  was  far  from  her  thoughts. 

As  to  Henry,  he  entered  with  that  mistrust  which  in  the 
most  dangerous  moments  caused  him  to  notice  the  smallest 
details ;  whatever  the  circumstances,  Henry  was  an  acute 
observer.  Therefore  he  at  once  saw  the  cloud  on  Marguerite's 
brow. 

"  You  are  busy,  madame  ?  "  said  he. 

"  I  ?    Why,  yes,  sire,  I  was  dreaming." 

"  You  do  well,  madame.  Dreaming  is  becoming  to  you.  I 
too  was  dreaming  ;  but  contrary  to  you  who  seek  solitude,  I 
have  come  on  purpose  to  share  my  dreams  with  you."  Mar- 
guerite gave  the  king  a  gesture  of  welcome,  and  indicating  an 
armchair  to  him,  seated  herself  on  a  chair  of  sculptured  ebony, 
as  delicate  and  as  strong  as  steel.  There  was  an  instant's 
silence ;  then  Henry  broke  it. 

"  I  remembered,  madame,"  said  he,  "  that  my  dreams  as  to 
the  future  corresponded  with  yours  in  so  far  as  although  sepa- 
rated as  husband  and  wife,  nevertheless  we  both  desire  to 
unite  our  fortune." 

"  That  is  true,  sire." 

"  I  think  I  understood  you  to  say  also  that  in  all  the  p^ns 
I  might  make  toward  our  mutual  rising,  I  would  find  in  you 
not  only  a  faithful  but  an  active  ally." 

"  Yes,  sire,  and  I  ask  only  one  thing,  that  in  beginning  the 
work  as  soon  as  possible,  you  will  give  me  the  opportunity  to 
begin  also." 


THE    CHERRY-COLORED    CLOAK.  251 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  you  of  this  mind,  madame,  and  I  trust 
that  you  have  not  for  one  instant  doubted  that  I  would  lose 
sight  of  the  plan  I  resolved  to  carry  out  the  very  day  when, 
thanks  to  your  brave  intervention,  I  was  almost  sure  of  being 
safe." 

"  Monsieur,  I  think  that  your  carelessness  is  nothing  but  a 
mask,  and  I  have  faith  not  only  in  the  predictions  by  the 
astrologers,  but  in  your  good  genius  as  well." 

"  What  should  you  say,  madame,  if  someone  were  to  upset 
our  plans  and  threaten  to  reduce  us  to  an  ordinary  position  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  that  I  was  ready  to  fight  with  you,  either 
openly  or  in  secret,  against  this  someone,  whoever  he  might 
be." 

"  Madame,"  continued  Henry,  "  it  is  possible  for  you,  is  it 
not,  to  gain  immediate  admission  into  the  room  of  your  brother, 
Monsieur  d'Aleuqon  ?  You  are  in  his  confidence  and  he  is 
very  friendly  to  you ;  might  I  venture  to  beg  you  to  find  out  if 
he  is  at  present  holding  a  secret  conference  with  someone  ?  " 

Marguerite  gave  a  start. 

"  With  whom,  monsieur  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  With  De  Mouy." 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  Marguerite,  repressing  her  emotion. 

"  Because  if  such  is  the  case,  madame,  farewell  to  all  our 
projects,  or  to  all  mine,  at  least." 

"  Sire,  speak  softly,"  said  Marguerite,  making  a  sign  with 
her  eyes  and  lips,  and  pointing  to  the  cabinet. 

"  Oh  !  oh  !  "  said  Henry,  "  still  someone  ?  Indeed,  that 
cabinet  is  so  often  occupied  that  it  makes  your  room  uninhab- 
itable." 

Marguerite  smiled. 

"  Is  it  still  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  No,  sire,  it  is  Monsieur  de  Mouy." 

"  He  ?  "  cried  Henry  with  surprise  mingled  with  joy.  "  He 
is  not  with  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  then  ?  Oh !  have  him  come  in, 
that  I  may  talk  to  him." 

Marguerite  stepped  to  the  cabinet,  opened  it,  and  taking  De 
Mouy  by  the  hand  led  him  without  preamble  to  the  King  of 
Navarre. 

"  Ah  !  madame,"  said  the  young  Huguenot,  in  a  tone  of 
reproach  more  sad  than  bitter,  "you  have  betrayed  me  in  spite 
of  your  promise  ;  that  is  wrong.  What  should  you  do  if  I  were 
to  avenge  myself  by  saying  "  — 


252  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  You  will  not  avenge  yourself,  De  Mouy,"  interrupted 
Henry,  pressing  the  young  man's  hand,  "  or  at  least  you  will 
listen  to  me  first.  Madame,"  continued  Henry,  turning  to  the 
queen,  "  be  kind  enough,  I  beg  you,  to  see  that  no  one  over- 
hears us." 

Scarcely  had  Henry  uttered  these  words  when  Gillonne 
entered,  frightened,  and  whispered  a  few  words  to  Marguerite, 
which  caused  the  latter  to  spring  from  her  seat.  While  she 
hastened  to  the  antechamber  with  Gillonne,  Henry,  without 
troubling  himself  as  to  why  she  had  left  the  room,  examined 
the  bed,  the  side  of  it,  as  well  as  the  draperies,  and  sounded 
the  wall  with  his  fingers.  As  to  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  fright- 
ened at  all  these  preparations,  he  first  of  all  made  sure  that  his 
sword  was  out  of  its  sheath. 

Leaving  her  sleeping-room,  Marguerite  hastened  to  the 
antechamber  and  came  face  to  face  with  La  Mole,  who  in  spite 
of  all  the  protests  of  Gillonne  had  forced  his  way  into  Mar- 
guerite's room. 

Coconnas  was  behind  him,  ready  to  urge  him  forward  or 
sustain  a  retreat. 

"  Ah  !  it  is  you,  Monsieur  la  Mole  ! "  cried  the  queen ; 
"  but  what  is  the  matter,  and  why  are  you  so  pale  and  trem- 
bling ?  " 

"Madame,"  said  Gillonne,  "Monsieur  de  la  Mole  knocked 
at  the  door  so  that,  in  spite  of  your  majesty's  orders,  I  was 
forced  to  open  it." 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  "  said  the  queen,  severely  ; 
"  is  this  true,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Madame,  I  wanted  to  warn  your  majesty  that  a  stranger, 
a  robber  perhaps,  had  gained  admittance  to  your  rooms  with 
my  cloak  and  my  hat." 

"  You  are  mad,  monsieur,"  said  Marguerite,  "  for  I  see  your 
cloak  on  your  shoulders,  and,  God  forgive  me,  I  think  I  see 
your  hat  on  your  head,  even  though  you  are  speaking  to  a 
queen." 

"  Oh  !  pardon  me,  madame,  pardon  me  !  "  cried  La  Mole, 
quickly  uncovering  ;  "  but  God  is  my  witness,  it  is  not  my  re- 
spect which  is  lacking." 

"  No,  it  is  your  trust,  is  it  not  ?  "  said  the  queen. 

"  What  can  you  expect  ?  "  cried  La  Mole,  "  when  a  man  is 
in  your  majesty's  rooms  ;  when  he  gains  admittance  by  assum- 
ing my  clothes,  and  perhaps  my  name,  who  knows  "  — 


THE    CHERRY-COLORED    CLOAK.  253 

"  A  man  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  softly  pressing  her  poor  lover's 
arm  ;  "  a  man  !  You  are  modest,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole.  Look 
through  the  opening  of  the  portiere  and  you  will  see  two  men." 

Marguerite  drew  back  the  velvet  portiere  embroidered  in 
gold,  and  La  Mole  saw  Henry  talking  with  the  man  in  the 
cherry-colored  cloak.  Coconnas,  as  though  he  himself  were 
concerned,  looked  also,  saw,  and  recognized  De  Mouy.  Both 
men  stood  amazed. 

"  Now  that  you  are  reassured,  or  at  least  now  that  I  hope 
you  are,"  said  Marguerite,  "  take  your  stand  outside  my  door, 
and  for  your  life,  my  dear  La  Mole,  let  no  one  enter.  If  any 
one  even  approaches  the  stairs,  warn  me."  La  Mole,  weak  and 
obedient  as  a  child,  withdrew,  glancing  at  Coconnas,  who 
looked  at  him.  Both  found  themselves  outside  without  having 
thoroughly  recovered  from  their  astonishment. 

"  De  Mouy  !  "  cried  Coconnas. 

"  Henry  !  "   murmured  La  Mole. 

"  De  Mouy  with  your  cherry-colored  cloak,  your  white  plume, 
and  your  swinging  arm." 

"  Ah  ! "  went  on  La  Mole,  "  the  moment  it  is  not  a  question 
of  love,  it  is  a  question  of  plot." 

"  By  Heaven !  here  we  are  in  the  midst  of  politics,"  said 
Coconnas  grumbling.  "  Fortunately  I  do  not  see  Madame  de 
Nevers  mixed  up  in  it." 

Marguerite  returned  and  sat  down  by  the  two  speakers. 
She  had  been  gone  only  a  moment,  but  had  made  the  most  of 
her  time.  Gillonne,  on  guard  in  the  secret  passage,  and  the 
two  gentlemen  on  duty  at  the  main  entrance,  assured  perfect 
safety  for  her. 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  "  do  you  think  it  would  be  possible 
for  us  to  be  overheard  in  any  way  ?  " 

"  Monsieur,"  said  Marguerite,  "  the  walls  of  this  room  are 
wadded,  and  a  double  wainscoting  deadens  all  sound." 

"  I  depend  on  you,"  replied  Henry  smiling.  Then  turning 
to  De  Mouy : 

"  Now,"  said  the  king,  in  a  low  tone,  as  if  in  spite  of  the 
assurance  of  Marguerite  his  fears  were  not  wholly  overcome, 
"  what  are  you  here  for  ?  " 

"  Here  ?  "  said  De  Mouy. 

"  Yes,  here,  in  this  room,"  repeated  Henry. 

"  He  had  nothing  to  do  here,"  said  Marguerite ;  "  I  induced 
him  to  come." 


254  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  You  ?  " 

"  I  guessed  everything." 

"  You  see,  De  Mouy,  we  can  discover  what  is  going  on." 

"  This  morning,"  continued  Marguerite,  "  Monsieur  de 
Mouy  was  with  Due  Franqois  in  the  apartment  of  two  of 
his  gentlemen." 

"  You  see,  De  Mouy,"  repeated  Henry,  "  we  know  every- 
thing." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  De  Mouy. 

"  I  was  sure,"  said  Henry,  "  that  Monsieur  d'Alengon  had 
taken  possession  of  you." 

"  That  is  your  fault,  sire.  Why  did  you  so  persistently 
refuse  what  I  offered  you  ?  " 

"  You  refused  ! "  exclaimed  Marguerite.  "  The  refusal  I 
feared,  then,  was  real  ? " 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  shaking  his  head,  "  and  you,  my 
brave  De  Mouy,  really,  you  make  me  laugh  with  your  exclama- 
tions. What !  a  man  enters  my  chamber,  speaks  to  me  of  a 
throne,  of  a  revolt,  of  a  revolution,  to  me,  Henry,  a  prince 
tolerated  provided  that  I  eat  humble  pie,  a  Huguenot  spared 
on  condition  that  I  play  the  Catholic ;  and  I  am  expected  to 
accept,  when  these  propositions  are  made  in  a  room  without 
padding  or  double  wainscoting !  Venire  saint  gris  !  You  are 
either  children  or  fools  ! " 

"  But,  sire,  could  not  your  majesty  have  left  me  some  hope, 
if  not  by  word,  at  least  by  a  gesture  or  sign  ?  " 

"  What  did  my  brother-in-law  say  to  you,  De  Mouy  ?  "  asked 
Henry. 

"  Oh,  sire,  that  is  not  my  secret." 

"  Well,  my  God ! "  continued  Henry,  with  a  certain  impa- 
tience at  having  to  deal  with  a  man  who  so  poorly  understood 
his  words.  "  I  do  not  ask  what  you  proposed  to  him,  I  ask 
you  merely  if  he  listened  to  you,  if  he  heard  you." 

"  He  listened,  sire,  and  he  heard." 

"  He  listened  and  he  heard !     You  admit  it  yourself,   De 

I  Mouy,  tactless  conspirator  that  you  are !   Had  I  said  one  word 

I  you  would  have  been  lost,  for  I  did  not  know,  I  merely  sus- 

!  pected  that  he  was  there,  or  if  not  he,  someone  else,  the  Due 

•  d'Anjou,  Charles  IX.,  or  the  queen  mother,  for  instance.  Yoxi  do 

^not  know  the  walls  of  the  Louvre,  DeMouy;  it  was  for  them 

that  the  proverb  was  made  which  says  that  walls  have  ears  ; 

and  knowing  these  walls  you  expected  me  to  speak  !  Well,  well, 


THE    CHERRY-COLORED    CLOAK.  255 

De  Mouy,  you  pay  a  small  compliment  to  the  common  sense  of 
the  King  of  Navarre,  and  I  am  surprised  that  not  esteeming 
him  more  highly  you  should  have  offered  him  a  crown." 

"  But,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  could  you  not  even  while  refus- 
ing this  crown  have  given  me  some  sign  ?  In  that  case  I  should 
not  have  considered  everything  hopeless  and  lost." 

"  Well  !  Venire  saint  gris  !  "  exclaimed  Henry,  "  if  one  can 
hear  cannot  one  see  also  ?  and  is  not  one  lost  by  a  sign  as  much 
as  by  a  word  ?  See,  De  Mouy,"  continued  the  king,  looking 
around  him,  "  at  the  present  moment,  so  near  to  you  that  my 
words  do  not  reach  beyond  the  circle  of  our  three  chairs,  I  still 
fear  I  may  be  overheard  when  I  say :  De  Mouy,  repeat  your 
proposal  to  me." 

"  But,  sire,"  cried  De  Mouy  in  despair,  "  I  am  now  engaged 
with  Monsieur  d'Alenqon." 

Marguerite  angrily  clasped  and  unclasped  her  beautiful 
hands. 

"  Then  it  is  too  late  ?  "  said  she. 

"  On  the  contrary,"  murmured  Henry,  "  know  that  even  in 
this,  God's  hand  is  visible.  Continue  your  arrangement,  De 
Mouy,  for  in  Due  Francois  lies  our  safety.  Do  you  suppose 
that  the  King  of  Navarre  would  guarantee  your  heads  ?  On 
the  contrary,  wretched  man,  I  should  have  you  all  killed  to 
the  last  one,  and  on  the  least  suspicion.  But  with  a  son  of 
France  it  is  different.  Secure  proofs,  De  Mouy,  ask  for 
guarantees ;  but,  stupid  that  you  are,  you  will  be  deeply  in- 
volved, and  one  word  will  suffice  for  you." 

"  Oh,  sire,  it  was  my  despair  at  your  having  left  us,  believe 
me,  which  threw  me  into  the  arms  of  the  duke ;  it  was  also 
the  fear  of  being  betrayed,  for  he  kept  our  secret." 

"  Keep  his,  now,  De  Mouy ;  it  rests  with  you.  What  does 
he  wish  ?  To  leave  court  ?  Furnish  him  with  means  to 
escape.  Work  for  him,  De  Mouy,  as  if  you  were  working  for 
me,  turn  the  shield  so  that  he  may  parry  every  blow  they  aim 
at  us.  When  it  is  time  to  flee,  we  will  both  flee.  When  it  is 
time  to  fight  and  reign,  I  will  reign  alone." 

"  Do  not  trust  the  duke,"  said  Marguerite,  "  he  is  gloomy 
and  acute,  without  hatred  as  without  love ;  ever  ready  to 
treat  his  friends  like  enemies  and  his  enemies  like  friends." 

"  And  he  is  expecting  you  now,  De  Mouy  ?  "  said  Henry. 

"Yes,  sire." 

"Where?" 


256  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  In  the  apartment  belonging  to  his  two  gentlemen." 

"  At  what  time  ?  " 

"  Before  midnight." 

"  It  is  not  yet  eleven  o'clock,"  said  Henry,  "  so  you  have 
lost  no  time ;  now  you  may  go,  De  Mouy." 

"  We  have  your  word,  monsieur  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  Come  now,  madame !  "  said  Henry,  with  the  confidence  he 
knew  so  well  how  to  use  with  certain  people  and  on  certain 
occasions,  "  with  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  such  things  are  not  even 
asked  for." 

"  You  are  right,  sire,"  replied  the  young  man ;  "  but  I  need 
your  word,  for  I  shall  have  to  tell  the  leaders  that  I  have  it. 
You  are  not  a  Catholic,  are  you  ?  " 

Henry  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  You  do  not  renounce  the  kingdom  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  I  renounce  no  kingdom,  De  Mouy,  I  merely  reserve  for 
myself  the  choice  of  the  best ;  that  is,  the  one  which  shall  best 
suit  me  and  you." 

"  And  if  in  the  meantime  your  majesty  should  be  arrested, 
you  would  promise  to  reveal  nothing  even  should  they  torture 
your  royal  majesty  ?  " 

"  De  Mouy,  I  swear  that,  before  God." 

"  One  further  word,  sire.     How  am  I  to  see  you  in  future  ?  " 

"  After  to-morrow  you  shall  have  a  key  to  my  room.  You 
will  come  there,  De  Mouy,  as  often  as  it  may  be  necessary  and 
when  you  please.  It  is  for  the  Due  d'Alenqon  to  answer  for 
your  presence  in  the  Louvre.  In  the  meantime,  use  the  small 
stairway.  I  will  show  you  the  way.  The  queen  will  have  the 
cherry -colored  cloak  like  yours  come  here  —  the  one  who  was 
in  the  antechamber  just  now.  No  one  must  notice  any  differ- 
ence between  you,  or  know  that  there  are  two  of  you,  De  Mouy. 
Do  you  not  agree  with  me  ?  And  you,  madame  ?  "  Henry 
looked  at  Marguerite  and  uttered  the  last  words  with  a  smile. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  without  moving  a  feature ;  "  for  this  Mon- 
sieur de  la  Mole  belongs  to  my  brother,  the  duke." 

"  Well,  madame,  try  to  win  him  over  to  our  side,"  said 
Henry,  in  perfect  seriousness.  "  Spare  neither  gold  nor  prom- 
ises ;  I  will  put  all  my  treasures  at  his  disposal." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Marguerite,  with  one  of  the  smiles  which 
belong  only  to  the  women  of  Boccaccio,  "  since  this  is  your 
wish,  I  will  do  my  best  to  second  it." 

"  Very  good,  madame  ;  and  you,  De  Mouy,  return  to  the 
duke,  and  make  sure  of  him." 


MARGARITA.  257 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

MARGARITA. 

DURING  the  conversation  which  we  have  just  related,  La 
Mole  and  Coconnas  mounted  guard.  La  Mole  somewhat 
chagrined,  Cocounas  somewhat  anxious.  La  Mole  had  had  time 
to  reflect,  and  in  this  he  had  been  greatly  aided  by  Coconnas. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  all  this,  my  friend  ?  "  La  Mole  had 
asked  of  Coconnas. 

"  I  think,"  the  Piedmontese  had  replied,  "  that  there  is  some 
court  intrigue  connected  with  it." 

"  And  such  being  the  case,  are  you  disposed  to  play  a  part 
in  it  ?  " 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  listen  well  to  what  I 
am  going  to  say  to  you  and  try  and  profit  by  it.  In  all  these 
princely  dealings,  in  all  royal  affairs,  we  can  and  should  be 
nothing  but  shadows.  Where  the  King  of  Navarre  leaves  a 
bit  of  his  plume  and  the  Due  d'Alengon  a  piece  of  his  cloak, 
we  leave  our  lives.  The  queen  has  a  fancy  for  you,  and  you 
for  her.  Nothing  is  better.  Lose  your  head  in  love,  my  dear 
fellow,  but  not  in  politics." 

That  was  wise  council.  Therefore  it  was  heard  by  La  Mole 
with  the  melancholy  of  a  man  who  feels  that,  placed  between 
reason  and  madness,  it  is  madness  he  will  follow. 

"  I  have  not  a  fancy  for  the  queen,  Annibal,  I  love  her  ; 
and  fortunately  or  unfortunately  I  love  her  with  all  my  heart. 
This  is  madness,  you  will  say.  Well,  I  admit  that  I  am  mad. 
But  you  are  wise,  Cocounas,  you  ought  not  to  suffer  for  my 
foolishness  and  my  misfortune.  Go  back  to  our  master  and 
do  not  compromise  yourself." 

Coconnas  pondered  an  instant.     Then  raising  his  head : 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  he  replied,  "  all  that  you  tell  me  is  per- 
fectly reasonable ;  you  are  in  love  —  act,  therefore,  like  a  lover. 
I  am  ambitious,  and  being  so,  I  think  life  is  worth  more  to  me 
than  a  woman's  kiss.  When  I  risk  my  life,  I  make  my  own 
conditions.  Try,  so  far  as  you  are  concerned,  my  poor  Medor, 
to  make  yours." 

Whereupon  Coconnas  extended  his  hand  to  La  Mole  and 
withdrew,  having  exchanged  a  final  glance  and  a  final  smile 
with  his  friend. 


258  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

About  ten  minutes  after  he  left  his  post,  the  door  opened, 
and  Marguerite,  peering  out  cautiously,  took  La  Mole  by  the 
hand  and,  without  uttering  a  word,  drew  him  from  the  corridor 
into  the  furthest  corner  of  her  room.  She  closed  the  door 
behind  her  with  a  care  which  indicated  the  importance  of  the 
conversation  she  was  about  to  have. 

Once  in  her  room  she  stopped,  seated  herself  on  her  ebony 
chair,  and  drawing  La  Mole  to  her,  she  clasped  her  hands  over 
both  of  his. 

"  Now  that  we  are  alone,"  said  she,  "  let  us  talk  seriously, 
my  very  dear  friend." 

"  Seriously,  madame,"  said  La  Mole. 

"  Or  lovingly.  Does  that  please  you  better  ?  But  there  can 
be  serious  things  in  love,  and  especially  in  the  love  of  a  queen." 

"  Then  —  let  us  talk  of  serious  things  ;  but  on  condition 
that  your  majesty  will  not  be  vexed  at  the  lighter  things  I 
have  to  say  to  you." 

"  I  shall  be  vexed  only  at  one  thing,  La  Mole,  and  that  is  if 
you  address  me  as  '  madame  '  or  'your  majesty.'  For  you,  my 
beloved,  I  am  just  Marguerite." 

"  Yes,  Marguerite  !  Yes,  Margarita  !  Yes,  my  pearl  !  " 
cried  the  young  man,  devouring  the  queen  with  his  eyes. 

"  Yes,  that  is  right,"  said  Marguerite.  "So  you  are  jealous, 
my  fine  gentleman  ?  " 

"  Oh !  unreasonably." 

«  Still  ?  " 

"Madly,  Marguerite." 

"  Jealous  of  whom  ?     Come ! " 

"  Of  everyone." 

"  But  really  ?  " 

"  Of  the  king  first." 

"  I  should  think  after  what  you  had  seen  and  heard  you 
might  be  easy  on  that  point." 

"  Of  this  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  whom  I  saw  this  morning  for 
the  first  time,  and  whom  this  evening  I  find  so  far  advanced 
in  his  intimacy  with  you." 

"  Monsieur  de  Mouy  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Who  gave  you  such  ideas  about  Monsieur  de  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Listen  !  I  recognized  him  from  his  figure,  from  the  color 
of  his  hair,  from  a  natural  feeling  of  hatred.  He  is  the  one 
who  was  with  Monsieur  d'AlenQon  this  morning." 


MARGARITA.  259 

"  Well,  what  connection  has  that  with  me  ?  " 
"  Monsieur  d'AlenQon  is  your  brother.  It  is  said  that  you 
are  very  fond  of  him.  You  may  have  confided  to  him  a  vague 
feeling  of  your  heart,  and,  according  to  the  custom  at  court,  he 
has  aided  your  wish  by  admitting  Monsieur  de  Mouy  to  your 
apartment.  Now,  what  I  do  not  understand  is  how  I  was  for- 
tunate enough  to  find  the  king  here  at  the  same  time.  But 
in  any  case,  madame,  be  frank  with  me.  In  default  of  other 
sentiment,  a  love  like  mine  has  the  right  to  demand  frankness 
in  return.  See,  I  prostrate  myself  at  your  feet.  If  what  you 
have  felt  for  me  is  but  a  passing  fancy,  I  will  give  you  back 
your  trust,  your  promise,  your  love ;  I  will  give  back  to  Mon- 
sieur d'Alenqon  his  kind  favors  and  my  post  of  gentleman, 
and  I  will  go  and  seek  death  at  the  siege  of  La  Rochelle,  if 
love  does  not  kill  me  before  I  have  gone  as  far  as  that." 

Marguerite   listened    smilingly   to    these   charming   words, 
watching  La  Mole's  graceful  gestures,  then  leaning  her  beauti- 
ful dreamy  head  on  her  feverish  hand  : 
"  You  love  me  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  madame  !  more  than  life,  more  than  safety,  more  than 
all ;  but  you,  you  —  you  do  not  love  me." 
"  Poor  fool ! "  she  murmured. 

"  Ah,   yes,  madame,"  cried  La  Mole,  still  at  her    feet,  "  I 
have  told  you  I  was  that." 

"  The  chief  thought  of  your  life,  then,  is  your  love,  dear  La 
Mole  !  " 

"  It  is  the  only  thought,  madame,  the  sole  thought." 
"  Well,  be  it  so ;  I  will  make  of  all  the  rest  only  an  acces- 
sory to  this  love.     You  love  me  ;  do  you  wish  to  remain  near 
me?" 

"  My  one  prayer  is  that  God  will  never  take  me  from  you." 
"  Well,  you  shall  not  leave  me.     I  need  you,  La  Mole." 
"  You  need  me  ?     Does  the  sun  need  the  glow-worm  ?  " 
"  If  I  will  tell  you  that  I  love  you,  would  you  be  wholly  de- 
voted to  me  ?  " 

"  Ah !    am    I    not   that   already,   madame,   and  more   than 
wholly  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but,  God  forgive  me,  you  still  doubt !  " 

"  Oh  !  I  am  wrong,  I  am  ungrateful,  or,  rather,  as  I  have  told 

you  and  repeated  to  you,  I  am  a  fool.     But  why  was  Monsieur 

de  Mouy  with  you  this  evening  ?    why  did  I  see  him  this 

morning  with  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alenc,on  ?     Why  that  cherry- 


260  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

colored  cloak,  that  white  plume,  that  affected  imitation  of  my 
gait  ?  Ah !  madame,  it  is  not  you  whom  I  suspect,  but 
your  brother." 

"  Wretched  man  ! "  said  Marguerite,  "  wretched  man  to  sup- 
pose that  Due  FranQois  would  push  complacency  so  far  as  to 
introduce  a  wooer  to  his  sister's  room !  Mad  enough  to  be 
jealous,  and  yet  not  to  have  guessed  !  Do  you  know,  La  Mole, 
that  the  Due  d'Alenqon  would  run  you  through  with  his  own 
sword  if  he  knew  that  you  were  here,  this  evening,  at  my  feet, 
and  that  instead  of  sending  you  away  I  were  saying  to  you  : 
'  Stay  here  where  you  are,  La  Mole ;  for  I  love  you,  my  fine 
gentleman,  do  you  hear  ?  I  love  you  ! '  Ah,  yes  !  he  would 
certainly  kill  you." 

"  Great  God ! "  cried  La  Mole,  starting  back  and  looking  at 
Marguerite  in  terror,  "  is  it  possible  ?  " 

"  Everything  is  possible,  my  friend,  in  these  times  and  at 
this  court.  Now,  one  word ;  it  was  not  for  me  that  Monsieur 
de  Mouy,  in  your  cloak,  his  face  hidden  under  your  hat,  came 
to  the  Louvre.  It  was  for  Monsieur  d'AlenQon.  But  I,  think- 
ing it  was  you,  brought  him  here.  He  knows  our  secret,  La 
Mole,  and  must  be  carefully  managed." 

"  I  should  prefer  to  kill  him,"  said  La  Mole;  "  that  is  shorter 
and  surer." 

"  And  I,  my  brave  gentleman,"  said  the  queen,  "  I  prefer 
him  to  live,  and  for  you  to  know  everything,  for  not  only  is 
his  life  useful  to  us,  but  it  is  necessary.  Listen  and  weigh 
your  words  well  before  you  answer.  Do  you  love  me  enough, 
La  Mole,  to  be  glad  if  I  were  really  to  become  a  queen  ;  that 
is,  queen  of  a  real  kingdom  ?  " 

"  Alas,  madame,  I  love  you  enough  to  wish  what  you  wish, 
even  should  this  desire  ruin  my  whole  life  !  " 

"  Well,  do  you  want  to  aid  me  to  realize  this  desire,  which 
would  make  you  still  happier  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  I  should  lose  you,  madame,"  cried  La  Mole  hiding  his 
head  in  his  hands. 

"  No,  on  the  contrary.  Instead  of  being  the  first  of  my  ser- 
vants, you  would  become  the  first  of  my  subjects,  that  is  all." 

''Oh!  no  interest  —  no  ambition,  madame  —  do  not  sully 
the  feeling  I  have  for  you  —  the  devotion,  nothing  but 
devotion !  " 

"  Noble  nature  !  "  said  Marguerite  ;  "  well,  yes,  I  accept  your 
devotion,  and  I  shall  find  out  how  to  reward  it." 


MARGARITA.  261 

She  extended  both  her  hands,  and  La  Mole  covered  them 
with  kisses. 

"  Well  !  "  said  she. 

"  Well,  yes  ! "  replied  La  Mole,  "  yes,  Marguerite,  I  am 
beginning  to  comprehend  this  vague  project  already  talked  of 
by  us  Huguenots  before  the  massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew, 
the  scheme  for  the  execution  of  which  I,  like  many  another 
worthier  than  myself,  was  sent  to  Paris.  You  covet  this 
actual  kingdom  of  Navarre  which  is  to  take  the  place  of  an 
imaginary  kingdom.  King  Henry  drives  you  to  it ;  De  Mouy 
conspires  with  you,  does  he  not?  But  the  Due  d'Alenqon, 
what  is  he  doing  in  it  all  ?  Where  is  there  a  throne  for  him  ? 
I  do  not  see.  Now,  is  the  Due  d'Alenqon  sufficiently  your  — 
friend  to  aid  you  in  all  this  without  asking  anything  in  ex- 
change for  the  danger  he  runs  ?  " 

"  The  duke,  my  friend,  is  conspiring  on  his  own  account. 
Let  us  leave  him  to  his  illusions.  His  life  answers  for  ours." 

"  But  I,  who  belong  to  him,  can  I  betray  him  ?  " 

"  Betray  him !  In  what  are  you  betraying  him  ?  What  has 
he  confided  to  you  ?  Is  it  not  he  who  has  betrayed  you  by  giv- 
ing your  cloak  and  hat  to  De  Motiy  as  a  means  of  gaining  him 
admittance  to  his  apartments  ?  You  belong  to  him,  you  say  ! 
Were  you  not  mine,  my  gentleman,  before  you  were  his  ?  Has 
he  given  you  a  greater  proof  of  friendship  than  the  proof  of 
love  you  have  from  me  ?  " 

La  Mole  arose,  pale  and  completely  overcome. 

"  Oh !  "  he  murmured,  "  Coconnas  was  right,  intrigue  is 
enveloping  me  in  its  folds.  It  will  suffocate  me." 

"  Well  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  Well,"  said  La  Mole,  "  this  is  my  answer :  it  is  said,  and 
I  heard  it  at  the  other  end  of  France,  where  your  illustrious 
name  and  your  universal  reputation  for  beauty  touched  my 
heart  like  a  vague  desire  for  the  unknown,  —  it  is  said  that 
sometimes  you  love,  but  that  your  love  is  always  fatal  to  those 
you  love,  so  that  death,  jealous,  no  doubt,  almost  always  re- 
moves your  lovers." 

"La  Mole!" 

"  Do  not  interrupt  me,  oh,  my  well-loved  Margarita,  for  they 
add  that  you  preserve  the  hearts  of  these  faithful  friends  in 
gold  boxes,1  and  that  occasionally  you  bestow  a  melancholy 

1  She  was  in  the  habit  of  carrying  a  large  farthingale,  containing  pockets,  in  each  of 
which  ohe  put  a  gold  box  in  which  was  the  heart  of  one  of  her  dead  lovers ;  for  she  was 


262  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

thought,  a  pious  glance  on  the  sad  remains.  You  sigh,  my 
queen,  your  eyes  droop ;  it  is  true.  Well !  make  me  the  clear- 
est and  the  happiest  of  your  favorites.  You  have  pierced  the 
hearts  of  others,  and  you  keep  their  hearts.  You  do  more 
with  me,  you  expose  my  head.  Well,  Marguerite,  swear  to 
me  before  the  image  of  the  God  who  has  saved  my  life  in  this 
very  place,  swear  to  me,  that  if  I  die  for  you,  as  a  sad  pre- 
sentiment tells  me  I  shall  do,  swear  to  me  that  you  will  keep 
my  head,  which  the  hangman  will  separate  from  my  body ; 
and  that  you  will  sometimes  press  your  lips  to  it.  Swear, 
Marguerite,  and  the  promise  of  such  reward  bestowed  by  my 
queen  will  make  me  silent,  and,  if  necessary,  a  traitor  and  a 
coward ;  this  is  being  wholly  devoted,  as  your  lover  and  your 
accomplice  should  be." 

"  Oh !  what  ghastly  foolishness,  dear  heart ! "  said  Marguerite. 
"  Oh !  fatal  thought,  sweet  love." 

"  Swear  "  — 

"  Swear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  on  this  silver  chest  with  its  cross.     Swear." 

"  Well ! "  said  Marguerite,  "  if  —  and  God  forbid !  —  your 
gloomy  presentiment  is  realized,  my  fine  gentleman,  on  this 
cross  I  swear  to  you  that  you  shall  be  near  me,  living  or 
dead,  so  long  as  I  live ;  and  if  I  am  unable  to  rescue  you 
from  the  peril  which  comes  to  you  through  me,  through  me 
alone,  I  will  at  least  give  to  your  poor  soul  the  consolation 
for  which  you  ask,  and  which  you  will  so  well  have  deserved." 

"  One  word  more,  Marguerite.  I  can  die  now.  I  shall  not 
mind  death  ;  but  I  can  live,  too,  for  we  may  succeed.  The 
King  of  Navarre,  king,  you  may  be  queen,  in  which  case  he 
will  take  you  away.  This  vow  of  separation  between  you  will 
some  day  be  broken,  and  will  do  away  with  ours.  Now,  Mar- 
guerite, my  well-beloved  Marguerite,  with  a  word  you  have 
taken  away  my  every  fear  of  death ;  now  with  a  word  keep  up 
my  courage  concerning  life." 

"  Oh,  fear  nothing,  I  am  yours,  body  and  soul !  "  cried  Mar- 
guerite, again  raising  her  hand  to  the  cross  on  the  little  chest. 
"  If  I  leave,  you  follow,  and  if  the  king  refuses  to  take  you, 
then  I  shall  not  go." 

"  But  you  dare  not  resist ! " 

careful  as  they  died  to  have  their  hearts  embalmed.  This  farthingale  huni;  every  night 
from  a  hook  which  was  secured  by  a  padlock  behind  the  headboard  of  her  bed.  (Talle- 
maut  Des  ULMUJE,  Hi»tory  of  Marguerite  of  Valois.) 


THE    HAND    OF    GOD.  263 

"  My  well-beloved  Hyacinthe,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  do  not 
know  Henry.  At  present  he  is  thinking  of  only  one  thing, 
that  is,  of  being  king.  For  this  he  would  sacrifice  everything 
he  owns,  and,  still  more,  what  he  does  not  own.  Now,  adieu  !  " 

"  Madame,"  said  La  Mole,  smiling,  "  are  you  going  to  send 
me  away  ?  " 

"  It  is  late,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  No  doubt ;  but  where  would  you  have  me  go  ?  Monsieur 
de  Mouy  is  in  my  room  with  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alenqon." 

"  Ah  !  yes,"  said  Marguerite,  with  a  beautiful  smile.  "  Be- 
sides, I  have  still  some  things  to  tell  you  about  this  con- 
spiracy." 

From  that  night  La  Mole  was  no  longer  an  ordinary  favorite. 
He  well  might  carry  his  head  high,  for  which,  living  or  dead, 
so  sweet  a  future  was  in  store. 

And  yet  at  times  his  weary  brow  was  bent,  his  cheek  grew 
pale,  and  deep  thoughts  ploughed  their  furrows  on  the  fore- 
head of  the  young  man,  once  so  light-hearted,  now  so  happy  ! 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE    HAND    OF    GOD. 

ON  leaving  Madame  de  Sauve  Henry  had  said  to  her : 

"  Go  to  bed,  Charlotte.  Pretend  that  you  are  very  ill,  and 
on  no  account  see  any  one  all  day  to-morrow." 

Charlotte  obeyed  without  questioning  the  reason  for  this 
suggestion  from  the  king.  She  was  beginning  to  be  accus- 
tomed to  his  eccentricities,  as  we  should  call  them  to-day,  or 
to  his  whims  as  they  were  then  called.  Moreover,  she  knew 
that  deep  in  his  heart  Henry  hid  secrets  which  he  told  to  no 
one,  in  his  mind  plans  which  he  feared  to  reveal  even  in  his 
dreams  ;  so  that  she  carried  out  all  his  wishes,  knowing  that 
his  most  peculiar  ideas  had  an  object. 

Whereupon  that  evening  she  complained  to  Dariole  of  great 
heaviness  in  her  head,  accompanied  by  dizziness.  These  were 
the  symptoms  which  Henry  had  suggested  to  her  to  feign. 

The  following  day  she  pretended  that  she  wanted  to  rise, 
but  scarcely  had  she  put  her  foot  on  the  floor  when  she  said 
she  felt  a  general  debility,  and  went  back  to  bed. 


MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

This  indisposition,  which  Henry  had  already  announced  to 
the  Due  d'Alengon,  was  the  first  news  brought  to  Catharine 
when  she  calmly  asked  why  La  Sauve  was  not  present  as  usual 
at  her  levee. 

"  She  is  ill ! "  replied  Madame  de  Lorraine,  who  was  there. 

"  111 ! "  repeated  Catharine,  without  a  muscle  of  her  face 
betraying  the  interest  she  took  in  the  answer.  "  Some  idle 
fatigue,  perhaps." 

"  No,  madame,"  replied  the  princess.  "  She  complains  of  a 
severe  headache  and  of  weakness  which  prevents  her  from 
walking."  Catharine  did  not  answer.  But,  to  hide  her  joy, 
she  turned  to  the  window,  and  perceiving  Henry,  who  was 
crossing  the  court  after  his  conversation  with  De  Mouy,  she 
rose  the  better  to  see  him.  Driven  by  that  conscience  which, 
although  invisible,  always  throbs  in  the  deepest  recesses  of 
hearts  most  hardened  to  crime : 

"  Does  not  my  son  Henry  seem  paler  than  usual  this  morn- 
ing ?  "  she  asked  her  captain  of  the  guards. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  question.  Henry  was  greatly 
troubled  mentally ;  but  physically  he  was  very  strong. 

By  degrees  those  usually  present  at  the  queen's  levee  with- 
drew. Three  or  four  intimate  ones  remained  longer  than  the 
others,  but  Catharine  impatiently  dismissed  them,  saying  that 
she  wished  to  be  alone.  When  the  last  courtier  had  gone 
Catharine  closed  the  door  and  going  to  a  secret  closet  hid- 
den in  one  of  the  panels  of  her  room  she  slid  back  a  door  in  a 
groove  of  wood  and  took  out  a  book,  the  worn  leaves  of  which 
showed  frequent  use.  Placing  the  volume  on  a  table,  she 
opened  it  to  a  book-mark,  then  resting  her  elbow  on  the  table 
and  her  head  on  one  hand : 

"  That  is  it,"  murmured  she,  reading,  "  '  headache,  general 
weakness,  pain  in  the  eyes,  swelling  of  the  palate.'  As  yet 
they  have  mentioned  only  the  pains  in  the  head  and  weakness. 
But  the  other  symptoms  will  not  be  slow  in  forthcoming." 

She  continued : 

"  '  Then  the  inflammation  reaches  the  throat,  extends  to  the 
stomach,  surrounds  the  heart  like  a  circle  of  fire,  and  causes 
the  brain  to  burst  like  a  thunderclap,' "  she  read  on  to  herself. 
Then  in  a  low  voice  : 

"  For  the  fever,  six  hours ;  for  the  general  inflammation, 
twelve  hours ;  for  the  gangrene,  twelve  hours ;  for  the  suffering, 
six  hours  5  in  all  thirty-six  hours.  Now,  suppose  that  the 


.     THE    HAND    OF    GOD,  265 

absorption  is  slow,  and  that  instead  of  thirty-six  hours  we  have 
forty,  even  forty-eight,  yes,  forty-eight  hours  should  suffice. 
But  Henry,  how  is  it  that  he  is  still  up  ?  Because  he  is  a  man, 
because  he  has  a  strong  constitution,  because  perhaps  he  drank 
after  he  kissed  her,  and  wiped  his  lips  after  drinking." 

Catharine  awaited  the  dinner  hour  with  impatience. 

Henry  dined  every  day  at  the  king's  table.  He  came,  he  in 
turn  complained  of  pain  in  his  head  ;  he  ate  nothing,  and  with- 
drew immediately  after  the  meal,  saying  that  having  been 
awake  a  part  of  the  previous  night,  he  felt  a  pressing  need  of 
sleep. 

Catharine  listened  as  his  uncertain  steps  died  away.  Then 
she  had  him  followed.  She  was  told  that  the  King  of  Navarre 
had  gone  to  Madame  de  Sauve's  apartments. 

"  Henry,"  said  she  to  herself,  "  will  this  evening  complete 
the  work  of  death  which  some  unfortunate  chance  has  left  half 
finished." 

The  King  of  Navarre  had  indeed  gone  to  Madame  de  Sauve's 
room,  but  it  was  to  tell  her  to  continue  playing  her  role. 

The  whole  of  the  following  morning  Henry  did  not  leave 
his  chamber ;  nor  did  he  appear  at  dinner.  Madame  de  Sauve, 
they  said,  was  growing  worse  and  worse,  and  the  report  of 
Henry's  illness,  spread  abroad  by  Catharine  herself,  sped  like 
one  of  those  presentiments  which  hover  in  the  air,  but  which 
no  one  can  explain. 

Catharine  was  delighted.  The  previous  morning  she  had 
sent  Ambroise  Pare  to  help  one  of  her  favorite  servants,  who 
was  ill  at  Saint  Germain,  so  it  had  to  be  one  of  her  own  men 
who  was  called  in  to  see  Madame  de  Sauve  and  Henry.  This 
man  would  say  only  what  she  wished  him  to  say.  If,  contrary 
to  all  expectation,  some  other  doctor  had  been  summoned,  and 
if  some  whisper  concerning  poison  had  frightened  the  court,  in 
which  so  many  such  reports  had  already  been  circulated,  she 
counted  greatly  on  the  rumor  to  arouse  the  jealousy  of  Mar- 
guerite regarding  the  various  loves  of  her  husband.  We  re- 
member she  had  spoken  strongly  of  this  jealousy  which  had 
been  apparent  on  various  occasions ;  among  others,  on  the  haw- 
thorn walk,  where,  in  the  presence  of  several  persons,  she  had 
said  to  her  daughter': 

"  So  you  are  very  jealous,  Marguerite  ?  "  Therefore,  with 
unruffled  features  she  waited  for  the  door  to  open,  when  some 
pale,  startled  servant  would  enter,  crying : 


266  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Your  majesty,  the  King  of  Navarre  has  been  hurt,  and 
Madame  de  Sauve  is  dead ! "  Four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
struck.  Catharine  finished  her  luncheon  in  the  aviary,  where 
she  was  crumbling  some  bread  for  her  rare  birds  which  she 
herself  had  raised.  Although  her  face  was  calm  and  even 
gloomy,  as  usual,  her  heart  throbbed  violently  at  the  slightest 
sound.  Suddenly  the  door  opened. 

"  Madame,"  said  the  captain  of  the  guards,  "  the  King  of 
Navarre  is  "  — 

"  111  ?  "  hastily  interrupted  Catharine. 

"  No,  madame,  thank  God !  His  majesty  seems  to  be 
wonderfully  well." 

"  What  is  it,  then  ?  " 

"  The  King  of  Navarre  is  here." 

"  What  does  he  want  ?  " 

"  He  is  bringing  your  majesty  a  rare  kind  of  monkey." 

Just  then  Henry  entered  holding  in  his  hand  a  basket,  in 
which  was  a  little  monkey  he  was  petting. 

He  entered  smiling  and  seemed  wholly  absorbed  in  the  dear 
little  animal  he  brought ;  but  occupied  as  he  appeared  to  be, 
he  did  not  fail  to  give  his  usual  first  glance  around.  This 
was  sufficient  for  him  under  trying  circumstances.  As  to 
Catharine,  she  was  very  pale,  of  a  pallor  which  deepened  as 
she  saw  that  the  cheeks  of  the  young  man  were  flushed  with 
the  glow  of  health. 

The  queen  mother  was  amazed  at  this  turn  of  affairs.  She 
accepted  Henry's  gift  mechanically,  appeared  agitated,  com- 
plimented him  on  looking  so  well,  and  added  : 

"  I  am  all  the  more  pleased  to  see  you  looking  so,  because  I 
heard  that  you  were  ill,  and  because,  if  I  remember  rightly, 
you  yourself  complained  of  not  feeling  well,  in  my  presence. 
But  I  understand  now,"  she  added,  trying  to  smile,  "  it  was  an 
excuse  so  that  you  might  be  free." 

"No,  I  have  really  been  very  ill,  madame,"  said  Henry, 
"  but  a  specific  used  in  our  mountains,  and  which  comes  from 
my  mother,  has  cured  my  indisposition." 

"  Ah  !  you  will  give  me  the  recipe,  will  you  not,  Henry  ?  " 
said  Catharine,  really  smiling  this  time,  but  with  an  irony  she 
could  not  disguise. 

"  Some  counter-poison,"  she  murmured.  "  We  must  look  into 
this ;  but  no,  seeing  Madame  de  Sauve  ill,  it  will  be  suspected. 
Indeed,  I  believe  that  the  hand  of  God  is  over  this  man." 


THE    HAND    OF    GOD.  267 

Catharine  waited  impatiently  for  the  night.  Madame  de 
Sauve  did  not  appear.  At  play  she  inquired  for  her,  but  was 
told  that  she  was  suffering  more  and  more. 

All  the  evening  she  was  restless,  and  everyone  anxiously 
wondered  what  were  the  thoughts  which  could  move  this  face 
usually  so  calm. 

At  length  everyone  retired.  Catharine  had  herself  un- 
dressed and  put  to  bed  by  her  ladies-in-waiting.  Then  when 
everyone  had  gone  to  sleep  in  the  Louvre,  she  rose,  slipped  on 
a  long  black  dressing-gown,  took  a  lamp,  chose  from  her  keys 
the  one  which  unlocked  the  door  of  Madame  de  Sauve's  apart- 
ments, and  ascended  the  stairs  to  see  her  maid-of -honor. 

Had  Henry  foreseen  this  visit  ?  Was  he  busy  in  his  own 
rooms  ?  Was  he  hiding  somewhere  ?  However  this  may  have 
been,  the  young  woman  was  alone.  Catharine  opened  the  door 
cautiously,  crossed  the  antechamber,  entered  the  reception-room, 
set  her  lamp  on  a  table,  for  a  night  lamp  was  burning  near  the 
sick  woman,  and  glided  like  a  shadow  into  the  sleeping-room. 
Dariole  in  a  deep  armchair  was  sleeping  near  the  bed  of  her 
mistress. 

This  bed  was  entirely  shut  in  by  curtains. 

The  respiration  of  the  young  woman  was  so  light  that  for  an 
instant  Catharine  thought  she  was  not  breathing  at  all. 

At  length  she  heard  a  slight  sigh,  and  with  an  evil  joy  she 
raised  the  curtain  in  order  to  see  for  herself  the  effect  of  the 
terrible  poison.  She  trembled  in  advance  at  the  sight  of 
the  livid  pallor  or  the  devouring  purple  of  the  mortal  fever 
she  hoped  for.  But  instead  of  this,  calm,  with  eyes  hidden 
under  their  white  lids,  her  mouth  rosy  and  half  open,  her  moist 
cheek  pressed  gently  against  one  of  her  gracefully  rounded  arms, 
while  the  other  arm,  fresh  and  pearly,  was  thrown  across  the 
crimson  damask  which  served  as  counterpane,  the  beautiful 
young  woman  lay  sleeping  with  a  smile  still  on  her  lips.  No 
doubt  some  sweet  dream  brought  the  smile  to  her  lips,  and  to 
her  cheek  the  flush  of  health  which  nothing  could  disturb. 
Catharine  could  not  refrain  from  uttering  a  cry  of  surprise 
which  roused  Dariole  for  a  moment.  The  queen  mother 
hastily  stepped  behind  the  ciirtains  of  the  bed. 

Dariole  opened  her  eyes,  but  overcome  with  sleep,  without 
even  wondering  in  her  drowsy  mind  why  she  had  wakened,  the 
young  girl  dropped  her  heavy  lids  and  slept  again. 

Then  Catharine  came  from  behind  the  curtain,  and  glancing 


268  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

at  the  other  objects  in  the  room,  saw  on  a  table  a  bottle  of  Spanish 
wine,  some  fruit,  pastry,  and  two  glasses.  Henry  must  have  had 
supper  with  the  baroness,  who  apparently  was  as  well  as  him- 
self. Walking  on  tiptoe,  Catharine  took  up  the  small  silver 
box  that  was  partly  empty.  It  was  the  same  or  very  similar 
to  the  one  she  had  sent  to  Charlotte.  She  removed  from  it  a 
piece  as  large  as  a  pearl  on  the  point  of  a  gold  needle,  returned 
to  her  room,  and  gave  it  to  the  little  ape  which  Henry  had 
brought  her  that  evening.  Attracted  by  the  aromatic  odor  the 
animal  devoured  it  eagerly,  and  turning  around  in  his  basket, 
went  to  sleep.  Catharine  waited  a  cfuarter  of  an  hour. 

"With  half  of  what  he  has  just  eaten,"  said  she,  "  my  dog 
Brutus  died,  swelling  up  instantly.  Some  one  has  played  me  a 
trick.  Is  it  Rene  ?  Impossible.  Then  it  is  Henry.  0 
fatality  !  It  is  very  evident  that  since  he  is  to  reign  he  cannot 
die.  But  perhaps  the  poison  was  not  strong  enough.  We 
shall  see  by  trying  steel." 

And  Catharine  went  to  bed  revolving  in  her  mind  a  fresh 
idea  which  no  doubt  was  perfected  the  following  day ;  for  she 
called  her  captain  of  the  guards  to  her,  gave  him  a  letter, 
ordered  him  to  take  it  to  its  address  and  to  deliver  it  only  into 
the  hands  of  the  one  for  whom  it  was  intended.  It  was 
addressed  to  the  Sire  de  Louviers  de  Maurevel,  Captain  of  the 
King's  Petard  Makers,  Rue  de  la  Cerisaie,  near  the  Arsenal. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

THE    LETTER    FROM    ROME. 

SEVERAL  days  elapsed  after  the  events  we  have  just  de- 
scribed, when  one  morning  a  litter  escorted  by  several  gentle- 
men wearing  the  colors  of  Monsieur  de  Guise  entered  the 
Louvre,  and  word  was  brought  to  the  Queen  of  Navarre  that 
Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Nevers  begged  the  honor  of  an  audience. 
Marguerite  was  receiving  a  call  from  Madame  de  Sauve.  It 
was  the  first  time  the  beautiful  baroness  had  been  out  since 
her  pretended  illness.  She  knew  that  the  queen  had  expressed 
to  her  husband  great  anxiety  on  account  of  her  indisposition, 
which  for  almost  a  week  had  been  court  gossip,  and  she  had 
come  to  thank  her. 


THE  LETTER  FROM  ROME.         269 

Marguerite  congratulated  her  on  her  convalescence  and  on 
her  good  fortune  at  having  recovered  so  quickly  from  the 
strange  malady,  the  seriousness  of  which  as  a  daughter  of 
France  she  could  not  fail  to  appreciate. 

"  I  trust  you  will  attend  the  hunt,  already  once  postponed," 
said  Marguerite.  "  It  is  planned  positively  for  to-morrow. 
For  winter,  the  weather  is  very  mild.  The  sun  has  softened 
the  earth,  and  the  hunters  all  say  that  the  day  will  be  fine." 

"  But,  madaine,"  said  the  baroness,  "  I  do  not  know  if  I  shall 
be  strong  enough." 

"  Bah !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  "  make  an  effort ;  moreover, 
since  I  am  one  of  the  hunters,  I  have  told  the  King  to  reserve 
a  small  Bearnese  horse  which  I  was  to  ride,  but  which  will 
carry  you  perfectly.  Have  you  not  already  heard  of  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,  but  I  did  not  know  that  it  was  meant  for 
your  majesty.  Had  I  known  that  I  should  not  have  accepted 
it." 

"  From  a  feeling  of  pride,  baroness  ?  " 

"No,  madame,  from  a  feeling  of  humility,  on  the  contrary." 

"  Then  you  will  come  ?  " 

"Your  majesty  overwhelms  me  with  honor.  I  will  come, 
since  you  command  me." 

At  that  moment  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Nevers  was  an- 
nounced. At  this  name  Marguerite  gave  a  cry  of  such  delight 
that  the  baroness  understood  that  the  two  women  wanted  to 
talk  together.  She  rose  to  leave. 

"  Until  to-morrow,  then,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  Until  to-morrow,  madame." 

"  By  the  way,"  continued  Marguerite  holding  the  baroness 
by  the  hand,  "  you  know  that  in  public  I  hate  you,  for  I  am 
horribly  jealous  of  you." 

"  But  in  private  ?  "  asked  Madame  de  Sauve. 

"  Oh !  in  private,  not  only  do  I  forgive  you,  but  more  than 
that,  I  thank  you." 

"  Then  your  majesty  will  permit  me  " — 

Marguerite  held  out  her  hand,  the  baroness  kissed  it  respect- 
fully, made  a  low  courtesy  and  went  out. 

While  Madame  de  Sauve  ascended  her  stairway,  bounding 
like  a  deer  whose  tether  has  been  broken,  Madame  de  Nevers 
was  exchanging  a  few  formal  words  with  the  queen,  which 
gave  time  to  the  gentlemen  who  had  accompanied  her  to 
retire. 


270  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Gillonne,"  cried  Marguerite  when  the  door  was  closed 
behind  the  last,  "  Gillonne,  see  that  no  one  interrupts  us." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  duchess,  "  for  we  have  matters  of  grave 
importance  to  discuss." 

Taking  a  chair  she  seated  herself  without  ceremony  in  the 
best  place  near  the  fire  and  in  the  sunlight,  sure  that  no  one 
would  interrupt  the  pleasant  intimacy  between  herself  and  the 
Queen  of  Navarre. 

"  Well,"  said  Marguerite,  with  a  smile,  "  what  about  our  fa- 
mous slaughterer  ?  " 

"  My  dear  queen,"  said  the  duchess,  "  he  is  a  mythological 
creature,  upon  my  word.  He  is  incomparable,  so  far  as  his 
mind  is  concerned,  and  never  dries  up.  He  makes  witty 
remarks  that  would  make  a  saint  in  her  shrine  die  of  laughing. 
In  other  respects  he  is  the  maddest  heathen  who  ever  walked 
in  the  skin  of  a  Catholic !  I  dote  on  him  !  And  you,  what  are 
you  doing  with  your  Apollo  ?  " 

"  Alas  !  "  said  Marguerite  with  a  sigh. 

"  Oh,  how  that  '  alas ! '  frightens  me,  dear  queen  !  Is  the 
gentle  La  Mole  too  respectful  or  too  sentimental  ?  In  that, 
I  am  forced  to  admit  he  would  be  exactly  the  opposite  of  his 
friend  Coconnas." 

"Oh,  no,  he  has  his  moments,"  said  Marguerite,  "but  this 
'  alas  ! '  concerned  only  myself." 

"  What  does  it  mean,  then  ?  " 

"  It  means,  dear  duchess,  that  I  am  terribly  afraid  I  am 
actually  in  love." 

«  Really  ?  " 

"  On  my  honor  ! " 

"  Oh  !  so  much  the  better !  What  a  merry  life  we  can 
lead  !  "  cried  Henriette.  "  To  love  a  little  is  my  dream  ;  to 
love  much,  is  yours.  It  is  so  sweet,  dear  and  learned  queen, 
to  rest  the  mind  by  the  heart,  is  it  not  ?  and  to  have  the  smile 
after  the  delirium.  Ah,  Marguerite,  I  have  a  feeling  that  we 
are  going  to  have  a  glorious  year ! " 

"Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  the  queen.  "  I,  on  the  contrary, 
do  not  know  how  that  may  be ;  I  see  things  through  a  veil. 
All  these  politics  occupy  me  so  much.  By  the  way,  do  you 
know  if  your  Annibal  is  as  devoted  to  my  brother  as  he 
seems  to  be  ?  Find  out  for  me.  I  must  know." 

"  He,  devoted  to  anybody  or  anything  !  It  is  easy  to  see 
that  you  do  not  know  him  as  I  do.  If  he  ever  is  devoted  to 


THE    LETTER    FROM   ROME,  271 

anything  it  will  be  his  ambition,  and  that  is  all.  If  your 
brother  is  a  man  to  make  great  promises  to  him,  well,  he 
will  be  devoted  to  your  brother ;  but  let  your  brother,  son  of 
France  that  he  is,  be  careful  not  to  break  the  promises  he 
makes  him.  If  he  does,  my  faith,  look  out  for  your  brother ! " 

"Keally?" 

"  It  is  just  as  I  say.  Truly,  Marguerite,  there  are  times 
when  this  tiger  whom  I  have  tamed  frightens  me.  The  other 
day  I  said  to  him,  (  Annibal,  be  careful,  do  not  deceive  me, 
for  if  you  do ! '  —  I  said  it,  however,  with  my  emerald  eyes 
which  prompted  Ronsard's  lines  : 

1 "  *  La  Duchesse  de  Nevers, 

Aux  yeux  verts, 
Qui,  sous  leur  paupiere  blonde 
Lancent  sur  nous  plus  d*  eclairs 
Que  ne  font  vingt  Jupiters 

Dans  les  airs 

Lorsque  la  tempete  gronde.' " 
"  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  supposed  he  would  answer  me  :  '  I  deceive  you  !  I ! 
never  !  etc.,  etc.'     But  do  you  know  what  he  did  answer  ?  " 
"No." 

"  Well,  judge  of  the  man  !     <  And  you/  he  replied, '  if  you 
deceive   me,  you  take  care  too,  for,  princess  that   you   are ' 
—  and   as   he    said    this    he  threatened    me    not    only   with 
his  eyes,  but  with  his  slender  pointed  finger,  with  its  nail  cut 
like  a  steel  lance,  which  he  held  before  my  nose.     At  that 
moment,  my  poor  queen,  I  confess  he  looked  so  fierce  that  I 
trembled,  and  yet  you  know  I  am  no  coward." 
"  He  threatened  you,  Henriette,  he  dared  ?  " 
"  Well,  I  had  threatened  him  !     For  that  matter  he  was 
right.     So  you  see  he  is  devoted  up  to  a  certain  point,  or 
rather  to  a  very  uncertain  point." 

"  In  that  case  we  shall  see,"  said  Marguerite  thoughtfully ; 
"  I  will  speak  to  La  Mole.  Have  you  nothing  else  to  tell 
me?" 

1  Fair  duchess,  your  dear  eyes 

Are  emerald  skies, 
Half  hid  'neath  cloud-lids  white, 
Whence  fiercer  lightning  flies, 
Launched  lorth  for  our  surprise, 

Than  could  arise 
From  twenty  Jovcs  in  furious  might. 


272  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Yes  ;  something  most  interesting  for  which  I  came.  But, 
the  idea,  you  have  told  me  more  interesting  things  still.  I 
have  received  news." 

"  From  Rome  ?  " 

"  Yes,  through  a  courier  from  my  husband." 

"  Ah  !  the  Poland  affair  ?  " 

"It  is  progressing  beaiitifully,  and  probably  in  a  day  or 
two  you  will  be  rid  of  your  brother  of  Anjou." 

"  So  the  pope  has  ratified  his  election  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  dear." 

"  And  you  never  told  me !  "  cried  Marguerite.  "  Well, 
quick,  quick,  the  details." 

"  Oh,  mercy,  I  have  none  except  those  I  have  given  you. 
But  wait,  I  will  give  you  the  letter  from  Monsieur  de  Nevers. 
Here  it  is.  Oh,  no,  those  are  some  verses  from  Annibal,  atro- 
cious ones  too,  my  poor  Marguerite.  He  can  not  write  any 
other  kind.  But  wait,  here  it  is.  No,  it  isn't,  that  is  a  note 
of  my  own  which  I  brought  for  you  to  have  La  Mole  give  him. 
Ah  !  at  last,  here  it  is."  And  Madame  de  Nevers  handed  the 
letter  to  the  queen. 

Marguerite  opened  it  hastily  and  read  it ;  but  it  told  noth. 
ing  more  than  she  had  already  learned  from  her  friend. 

"  How  did  you  receive  this  ?  "  continued  the  queen. 

"  From  a  courier  of  my  husband,  who  had  orders  to  stop  at 
the  Hotel  de  Guise  before  going  to  the  Louvre,  and  to  deliver 
this  letter  to  me  before  delivering  that  of  the  King.  I  knew 
the  importance  my  queen  would  attach  to  this  news,  and  I  had 
written  to  Monsieur  de  Nevers  to  act  thus.  He  obeyed,  you 
see  ;  he  is  not  like  that  monster  of  a  Coconnas.  Now  there  is 
no  one  in  the  whole  of  Paris,  except  the  King,  you,  and  I,  who 
knows  this  news ;  except  the  man  who  followed  our  courier  " — 

"Whatman?" 

"  Oh !  the  horrid  business !  Imagine  how  tired,  worn  out, 
and  dusty  the  wretched  messenger  was  when  he  arrived  !  He 
rode  seven  days,  day  and  night,  without  stopping  an  instant." 

"  But  the  man  you  spoke  of  just  now  ?  " 

"  Wait  a  minute.  Constantly  followed  by  a  wild-looking 
fellow  who  had  relays  like  himself  and  who  rode  as  far  as  he 
did  for  the  four  hundred  leagues,  the  poor  courier  constantly 
expected  to  be  shot  in  his  back.  Both  reached  the  Saint 
Marcel  gate  at  the  same  time,  both  galloped  down  the  Rue 
Mouffetard,  both  crossed  the  city.  But  at  the  end  of  the 


THE    LETTER    FROM   ROME.  273 

bridge  of  Notre-Darne  our  courier  turned  to  the  right,  while 
the  other  took  the  road  to  the  left  by  the  Place  du  Chatelet, 
and  sped  along  the  quays  by  the  side  of  the  Louvre,  like  an 
arrow  from  a  bow." 

"  Thanks,  ray  good  Henriette,  thanks  ! "  cried  Marguerite. 
"  You  are  right ;  that  is  very  interesting  news.  By  whom  was 
the  other  courier  sent  ?  I  must  know.  So  leave  me  until  this 
evening.  Rue  Tizon,  is  it  not  ?  and  the  hunt  to-morrow.  Do 
take  a  frisky  horse,  so  that  he  will  run  away,  and  we  can  be 
by  ourselves.  I  will  tell  you  this  evening  what  is  necessary 
for  you  to  try  and  find  out  from  your  Coconnas." 

"  You  will  not  forget  my  letter  ? "  said  the  duchess  of 
Nevers  smiling. 

"  No,  no,  do  not  worry ;  he  shall  have  it,  and  at  once." 

Madame  de  Nevers  left,  and  Marguerite  immediately  sent  for 
Henry,  who  came  to  her  quickly.  She  gave  him  the  letter 
from  the  Due  de  Nevers. 

"  Oh  !  oh  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

Then  Marguerite  told  him  about  the  second  courier. 

"  Yes,"  said  Henry ;  "I  saw  him  enter  the  Louvre." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  for  the  queen  mother." 

"  No,  I  am  sure  of  that,  for  I  ventured  to  take  my  stand  in 
the  corridor,  and  I  saw  no  one  pass." 

"  Then,"  said  Marguerite,  looking  at  her  husband,  "  he  must 
be"  — 

"  For  your  brother  D'Alenqon,  must  he  not  ?  "  said  Henry. 

"  Yes ;  but  how  can  we  be  sure  ?  " 

"  Could  not  one  of  his  two  gentlemen  be  sent  for  ?  "  said 
Henry,  carelessly,  "  and  through  him  " 

"  You  are  right,"  said  Marguerite,  put  at  her  ease  at  her 
husband's  suggestion.  "  I  will  send  for  Monsieur  de  la  Mole. 
Gillonne!  Gillonne!" 

The  young  girl  appeared. 

"I  must  speak  at  once  with  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  the 
queen.  "  Try  to  find  him  and  bring  him  here." 

Gillonne  disappeared.  Henry  seated  himself  before  a  table 
on  which  was  a  German  book  containing  engravings  by  Albert 
Durer,  which  he  began  to  examine  with  such  close  attention 
that  when  La  Mole  entered  he  did  not  seem  to  hear  him,  and 
did  not  even  raise  his  head. 

On  his  side,  the  young  man,  seeing  the  king  with  Mar- 
guerite, stopped  on  the  threshold,  silent  from  surprise  and 
pale  from  anxiety. 


274  MARGUERITE   DE    VALOfS. 

Marguerite  went  to  him. 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  she,  "  can  you  tell  me  who  is 
on  guard  to-day  at  Monsieur  d'Alen^on's  ?  " 

"  Coconnas,  madame,"  said  La  Mole. 

"  Try  to  find  out  for  me  from  him  if  he  admitted  to  his 
master's  room  a  man  covered  with  mud,  who  apparently  had 
a  long  or  hasty  ride." 

"  Ah,  madame,  I  fear  he  will  not  tell  me  ;  for  several  days 
he  has  been  very  taciturn." 

"  Indeed !  But  by  giving  him  this  note,  it  seems  to  me  that 
he  will  owe  you  something  in  exchange." 

"  From  the  duchess  !     Oh,  with  this  note  I  will  try." 

"  Add,"  said  Marguerite,  lowering  her  voice,  "  that  this  note 
will  serve  him  as  a  means  of  gaining  entrance  this  evening  to 
the  house  you  know  about." 

"  And  I,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  in  a  low  tone,  "  what  shall 
be  mine  ?  " 

"  Give  your  name.     That  will  be  enough." 

"  Give  me  the  note,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  with  throbbing 
heart,  "  I  will  bring  back  the  answer." 

He  withdrew. 

"  We  shall  know  to-morrow  if  the  duke  has  been  informed 
of  the  Poland  affair,"  said  Marguerite  calmly,  turning  to  her 
husband. 

"That  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  really  a  fine  servant,"  said 
the  Bearnais,  with  his  peculiar  smile,  "  and,  by  Heaven !  I 
will  make  his  fortune  !  " 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THE    DEPARTURE. 

WHEN  on  the  following  day  a  beautiful  sun,  red  but 
rayless,  as  is  apt  to  be  the  case  on  privileged  days  of 
winter,  rose  behind  the  hills  of  Paris,  everything  had  already 
been  awake  for  two  hours  in  the  court  of  the  Louvre.  A 
magnificent  Barbary  horse,  nervous  and  spirited,  with  limbs 
like  those  of  a  stag,  on  which  the  veins  crossed  one  another 
like  network,  pawed  the  ground,  pricked  up  his  ears  and 
snorted,  while  waiting  for  Charles  IX.  He  was  less  impa- 


THE    DEPARTURE.  275 

tient,  however,  than  his  master  who,  detained  by  Catharine, 
had  been  stopped  by  her  in  the  hall.  She  had  said  she  wished 
to  speak  to  him  on  a  matter  of  importance.  Both  were  in  the 
corridor  with  the  glass  windows.  Catharine  was  cold,  pale, 
and  quiet  as  usual.  Charles  IX.  fretted,  bit  his  nails,  and 
whipped  his  two  favorite  dogs.  The  latter  were  covered  with 
cuirasses  of  mail,  so  that  the  snout  of  the  wild  boar  should 
not  harm  them,  and  that  they  might  be  able  to  encounter  the 
terrible  animal  with  impunity.  A  small  scutcheon  with  the 
arms  of  France  had  been  stitched  on  their  breasts  similar  to 
those  on  the  breasts  of  the  pages,  who,  more  than  once,  had 
envied  the  privileges  of  these  happy  favorites. 

"  Pay  attention,  Charles,"  said  Catharine,  "  no  one  but  you 
and  I  knows  as  yet  of  the  expected  arrival  of  these  Polonais. 
But,  God  forgive  me,  the  King  of  Navarre  acts  as  if  he  knew. 
In  spite  of  his  abjuration,  which  I  always  mistrust,  he  is  in 
communication  with  the  Huguenots.  Have  you  noticed  how 
often  he  has  gone  out  the  past  few  days  ?  He  has  money, 
too,  he  who  has  never  had  any.  He  buys  horses,  arms,  and  on 
rainy  days  he  practises  fencing  from  morning  until  night." 

"  Well,  my  God,  mother  !  "  exclaimed  Charles  IX.,  impa- 
tiently, "  do  you  think  he  intends  to  kill  me,  or  my  brother 
D'Anjou  ?  In  that  case  he  will  need  a  few  more  lessons,  for 
yesterday  I  counted  eleven  buttonholes  with  my  foil  on  his 
doublet,  which,  however,  had  only  six.  And  as  to  my  brother 
D'Anjou,  you  know  that  he  fences  as  well  if  not  better  than  I 
do  ;  at  least  so  people  say." 

"  Listen,  Charles,"  continued  Catharine,  "  and  do  not  treat 
lightly  what  your  mother  tells  you.  The  ambassadors  will 
arrive ;  well,  you  will  see  !  As  soon  as  they  are  in  Paris, 
Henry  will  do  all  he  can  to  gain  their  attention.  He  is  insin- 
uating, he  is  crafty ;  without  mentioning  his  wife  who  seconds 
him,  I  know  not  why,  and  will  chat  with  them,  and  talk  Latin, 
Greek,  Hungarian,  and  I  know  not  what,  to  them  !  Oh,  I  tell 
you,  Charles,  —  and  you  know  that  I  am  not  mistaken,  —  I  tell 
you  that  there  is  something  on  foot." 

Just  then  the  clock  struck  and  Charles  IX.  stopped  listening 
to  his  mother  to  count  the  strokes. 

"  Good  heavens  !  seven  o'clock  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  one  hour 
before  we  get  off,  that  will  make  it  eight ;  one  hour  to  reach 
the  meeting-place,  and  to  start  again  —  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
begin  hunting  before  nine  o'clock.  Really,  mother,  you  make 


276  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

me  lose  a  great  deal  of  time !  Down,  Risquetout !  great 
Heavens  !  down,  I  say,  you  brigand  !  " 

And  a  vigorous  blow  of  the  bloody  whip  on  the  mastiff's 
back  brought  a  howl  of  real  pain  from  the  poor  beast,  thor- 
oughly astonished  at  receiving  punishment  in  exchange  for  a 
caress. 

"  Charles  !  "  said  Catharine,  "  listen  to  me,  in  God's  name, 
and  do  not  leave  to  chance  your  fortune  and  that  of  France ! 
The  hunt,  the  hunt,  the  hunt,  you  cry  ;  why,  you  will  have  time 
enough  to  hunt  when  your  work  of  king  is  settled." 

"  Come  now,  mother !  "  exclaimed  Charles,  pale  with  impa- 
tience, "  explain  quickly,  for  you  bother  me  to  death.  Really, 
there  are  days  when  I  cannot  comprehend  you." 

He  stopped  beating  his  whip  against  his  boot. 

Catharine  thought  that  the  time  had  come  and  that  it  should 
not  be  passed  by. 

"  My  son,"  said  she,  "  we  have  proof  that  De  Mouy  has  re- 
turned to  Paris.  Monsieur  de  Maurevel,  whom  you  are  well 
acquainted  with,  has  seen  him.  This  can  be  only  for  the  King 
of  Navarre.  That  is  enough,  I  trust,  for  us  to  suspect  him 
more  than  ever." 

"  Come,  there  you  go  again  after  my  poor  Henriot !  You 
want  me  to  have  him  killed ;  do  you  not  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no." 

"  Exiled  ?  But  why  can  you  not  see  that  if  he  were  exiled 
he  would  be  much  more  dangerous  than  he  will  ever  be  here, 
in  the  Louvre,  under  our  eyes,  where  he  can  do  nothing  without 
our  knowing  it  at  once  ?  " 

"  Therefore  I  do  not  wish  him  exiled." 

"  What  do  you  want,  then  ?     Tell  me  quickly  !  " 

"  I  want  him  to  be  held  in  safe  keeping  while  these  Polonais 
are  here ;  in  the  Bastille,  for  instance." 

"  Ah  !  my  faith,  no  !  "  cried  Charles  IX.  "  We  are  going  to 
hunt  the  boar  this  morning  and  Henry  is  one  of  my  best  men. 
Without  him  the  fun  would  be  spoiled.  By  Heaven,  mother  ! 
really,  you  do  nothing  but  vex  me." 

"  Why,  my  dear  son,  I  did  not  say  this  morning.  The  am- 
bassadors do  not  arrive  until  to-morrow  or  the  day  after. 
Arrest  him  after  your  hunt,  this  evening  —  to-night  "  — 

"  That  is  a  different  matter.  Well,  we  will  talk  about  it 
later  and  see.  After  the  hunt  I  will  not  refuse.  Adieu  ! 
Come  here,  Risquetout !  Is  it  your  turn  to  sulk  now  ?  " 


THE    DEPARTURE.  277 

"  Charles,"  said  Catharine,  laying  a  detaining  hand  on  his 
arm  at  the  risk  of  a  fresh  explosion  which  might  result  from 
this  new  delay,  "  I  think  that  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  sign 
the  order  for  arrest  at  once,  even  though  it  is  not  to  be  carried 
out  until  this  evening  or  to-night." 

"  Sign,  write  an  order,  look  up  a  seal  for  the  parchment 
when  they  are  waiting  for  me  to  go  hunting,  I,  who  never  keep 
anyone  waiting !  The  devil  take  the  thought !  " 

"  Why,  no,  I  love  you  too  dearly  to  delay  you.  I  arranged 
everything  beforehand ;  step  in  here  and  see  !  " 

And  Catharine,  as  agile  as  if  she  were  only  twenty  years 
old,  pushed  open  a  door  of  her  cabinet,  and  pointed  to  an  ink- 
stand, pen,  parchment,  the  seal,  and  a  lighted  candle. 

The  king  took  the  parchment  and  read  it  through  hastily. 

"  Order,  etc.,  etc.,  to  arrest  and  conduct  to  the  Bastille  our 
brother  Henry  of  Navarre." 

"  Good,  that  is  done  ! "  he  exclaimed,  signing  hurriedly. 
"  Adieu,  mother." 

He  hastened  from  the  room,  followed  by  his  dogs,  greatly 
pleased  to  have  gotten  rid  of  Catharine  so  easily. 

Charles  IX.  had  been  waited  for  with  impatience,  and  as 
his  promptness  in  hunting  matters  was  well  known,  every  one 
wondered  at  the  delay.  So  when  he  finally  appeared,  the 
hunters  welcomed  him  by  shouts  of  "  Long  live  the  King ! " 
the  outriders  by  a  flourish  of  trumpets,  the  horses  by  neighing, 
the  dogs  by  barking.  All  this  noise  and  hubbub  brought  a 
flush  to  his  pale  cheeks,  his  heart  swelled,  and  for  a  moment 
Charles  was  young  and  happy. 

The  King  scarcely  took  the  time  to  salute  the  brilliant  com- 
pany gathered  in  the  court-yard.  He  nodded  to  the  Due 
d'Alengon,  waved  his  hand  to  his  sister  Marguerite,  passed 
Henry  without  apparently  seeing  him,  and  sprang  upon  the 
fiery  Barbary  horse,  which  started  off  at  once.  But  after  cur- 
vetting around  three  or  four  times,  he  realized  what  sort  of  a 
rider  he  had  to  deal  with  and  quieted  down.  The  trumpets 
again  sounded,  and  the  King  left  the  Louvre  followed  by  the 
Due  d'Alenqon,  the  King  of  Navarre,  Marguerite,  Madame  de 
Nevers,  Madame  de  Sauve,  Tavannes,  and  the  principal 
courtiers. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  La  Mole  and  Coconnas  were  of 
the  number. 


278  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

As  to  the  Due  d'Anjou,  lie  had  been  at  the  siege  of  La 
Rochelle  for  three  months. 

While  waiting  for  the  King,  Henry  had  spoken  to  his  wife, 
who  in  returning  his  greeting  had  whispered, 

"  The  courier  from  Rome  was  admitted  by  Monsieur  de 
Coconnas  himself  to  the  chamber  of  the  Due  d'Alen^on  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  before  the  messenger  from  the  Due  de 
Nevers  saw  the  King." 

"  Then  he  knows  all,"  said  Henry. 

"  He  must  know  all,"  replied  Marguerite  ;  "  but  keep  your 
eyes  on  him  and  see  how,  in  spite  of  his  usual  dissimulation, 
his  eyes  shine." 

"  Venire  saint  gris  !  "  murmured  the  Bearnais.  "  I  should 
think  they  would ;  he  hunts  triple  game  to-day :  France, 
Poland,  and  Navarre,  without  counting  the  wild  boar." 

He  bowed  to  his  wife,  returned  to  his  place,  and  calling  one 
of  his  servants  whose  ancestors  had  been  in  the  service  of  his 
father  for  more  than  a  century,  and  whom  he  employed  as 
ordinary  messenger  in  his  love  affairs  : 

"  Orthon,"  said  he,  "  take  this  key  to  the  cousin  of  Madame 
de  Sauve,  who  you  know  lives  with  his  mistress  at  the  corner 
of  the  Rue  des  Quatre  Fils.  Say  to  him  that  his  cousin  desires 
to  speak  to  him  this  evening ;  that  he  is  to  enter  my  room, 
and,  in  case  I  am  not  there,  to  wait  for  me.  If  I  am  late,  he 
is  to  lie  down  on  my  bed." 

"  Is  there  an  answer,  sire  ?  " 

"  No,  except  to  tell  me  if  you  find  him.  The  key  is  for  him 
alone,  you  understand  ?  " 

"Yes,  sire." 

"Wait;  do  not  start  now,  plague  you!  Before  leaving 
Paris  I  will  call  you  to  tighten  my  saddle-girths ;  in  that  way 
you  will  naturally  have  to  lag  behind,  and  you  can  carry  out 
your  commission  and  join  us  at  Bondy." 

The    servant   made    a  sign  of   obedience   and   rode  away. 

They  set  out  by  the  Rue  Saint  Honore,  through  the  Rue 
Saint  Denis,  and  the  Faubourg.  At  the  Rue  Saint  Laurent 
the  saddle-girths  of  the  King  of  Navarre  became  loose.  Orthon 
rode  up  to  him,  and  everything  happened  as  had  been  agreed 
on  between  him  and  his  master,  who  followed  the  royal  pro- 
cession along  the  Rue  des  Re'collets,  where  his  faithful  servant 
sought  the  Rue  du  Temple. 

When  Henry  overtook  the   King,  Charles  was  engaged    in 


THE    DEPARTURE.  279 

such  an  interesting  conversation  with  the  Due  d' Alenqon,  on  the 
subject  of  the  weather,  the  age  of  the  wild  boar  which  was  a 
recluse,  and  as  to  where  he  had  made  his  lair,  that  he  did  not 
notice,  or  pretended  he  did  not  notice,  that  Henry  had  lagged 
behind  a  moment. 

In  the  meantime  Marguerite  had  watched  each  countenance 
from  afar  and  thought  she  perceived  a  certain  embarrass- 
ment in  the  eyes  of  her  brother  every  time  she  looked  at  him. 
Madame  de  Nevers  was  abandoning  herself  to  mad  gayety,  for 
Coconnas,  supremely  happy  that  day,  was  making  numberless 
jokes  near  her  to  make  the  ladies  laugh. 

As  to  La  Mole  he  had  already  twice  found  an  opportunity 
to  kiss  Marguerite's  white  scarf  with  gold  fringe,  without  the 
act,  which  was  carried  out  with  the  skill  usual  to  lovers,  having 
been  seen  by  more  than  three  or  four. 

About  a  quarter-past  eight  they  reached  Bondy.  The  first 
thought  of  Charles  IX.  was  to  find  out  if  the  wild  boar  had 
held  out. 

The  boar  was  in  his  lair,  and  the  outrider  who  had  turned 
him  aside  answered  for  him,  A  breakfast  was  ready.  The 
King  drank  a  glass  of  Hungarian  wine.  Charles  IX.  invited 
the  ladies  to  take  seats  at  table,  and  in  his  impatience  to  pass 
away  the  time  set  out  to  visit  the  kennels  and  the  roosts,  giv- 
ing orders  not  to  unsaddle  his  horse,  as  he  said  he  had  never 
had  a  better  or  a  stronger  mount. 

While  the  King  was  taking  this  stroll,  the  Due  de  Guise 
arrived.  He  was  armed  for  war  rather  than  for  hunting,  and 
was  accompanied  by  twenty  or  thirty  gentlemen  equipped  in 
like  manner.  He  asked  at  once  for  the  King,  joined  him,  and 
returned  talking  with  him. 

At  exactly  nine  o'clock  the  King  himself  gave  the  signal  to 
start,  and  each  one  mounted  and  set  out  to  the  meet.  During 
the  ride  Henry  found  another  opportunity  to  be  near  his 
wife. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  do  you  know  anything  new  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  unless  it  is  that  my  brother 
Charles  looks  at  you  strangely." 

"  I  have  noticed  it,"  said  Henry. 

"  Have  you  taken  precautions  ?  " 

"  I  have  on  a  coat  of  mail,  and  at  my  side  a  good  Spanish 
hunting  knife,  as  sharp  as  a  razor,  and  as  pointed  as  a  needle. 
I  could  pierce  pistols  with  it." 


280  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Marguerite,  "  God  protect  you  ! " 
The  outrider  in  charge  of  the  hunt  made  a  sign.     They  had 
reached  the  lair. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

MAURBVEL. 

WHILE  all  this  careless,  light-hearted  youth,  apparently  so 
at  least,  was  scattering  like  a  gilded  whirlwind  along  the  road 
to  Bondy,  Catharine,  still  rolling  up  the  precious  parchment  to 
which  King  Charles  had  just  affixed  his  signature,  admitted 
into  her  room  a  man  to  whom,  a  few  days  before,  her  captain 
of  the  guards  had  carried  a  letter,  addressed  to  Rue  de  la 
Cerisaie,  near  the  Arsenal. 

A  broad  silk  band  like  a  badge  of  mourning  hid  one  of  the 
man's  eyes,  showing  only  the  other  eye,  two  prominent  cheek- 
bones, and  the  curve  of  a  vulture's  nose,  while  a  grayish  beard 
covered  the  lower  part  of  his  face.  He  wore  a  long  thick 
cloak,  beneath  which  one  .might  have  imagined  a  whole  arsenal. 
Besides  this,  although  it  was  not  the  custom  of  those  called  to 
court,  he  wore  at  his  side  a  long  campaign  sword,  broad,  and 
with  a  double  blade.  One  of  his  hands  was  hidden  beneath 
his  cloak,  and  never  left  the  handle  of  a  long  dagger. 

"  Ah  !  you  here,  monsieur  ? "  said  the  queen  seating  her- 
self ;  "  you  know  that  I  promised  you  after  Saint  Bartholomew, 
when  you  rendered  us  such  signal  service,  not  to  let  you  be 
idle.  The  opportunity  has  arisen,  or  rather  I  have  made  it. 
Thank  me,  therefore." 

"  Madame,  I  humbly  thank  your  majesty,"  replied  the  man 
with  the  black  bandage,  in  a  reserved  voice  at  once  low  and 
insolent. 

"  A  fine  opportunity ;  you  will  not  find  another  such  in 
your  whole  life.  Make  the  most  of  it,  therefore." 

"  I  am  waiting,  madame,  only  after  the  preamble,  I  fear  " 

"  That  the  commission  may  not  be  much  ?  Are  not  those 
who  wish  to  advance  fond  of  such  commissions  ?  The  one  of 
which  I  speak  would  be  envied  by  the  Tavannes  and  even  by 
the  De  Guises." 

"  Ah !  madame,"  said  the  man,  "  believe  me,  I  am  at  your 
majesty's  orders,  whatever  they  may  be." 


MAU REVEL.  281 

"  In  that  case,  read,"  said  Catharine. 

She  handed  him  the  parchment.  The  man  read  it  and 
grew  pale. 

"  What !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  an  order  to  arrest  the  King  of 
Navarre  !  " 

"  Well !  what  is  there  strange  in  that  ?  " 

"  But  a  king,  madame  !  Keally,  I  think  —  I  fear  I  am  not  of 
sufficiently  high  rank." 

"  My  confidence  makes  you  the  first  gentleman  of  my  court, 
Monsieur  de  Maurevel,"  said  Catharine. 

"1  thank  your  majesty,"  said  the  assassin  so  moved  that  he 
seemed  to  hesitate. 

"  You  will  obey,  then  ?  " 

"  If  your  majesty  orders  it,  is  it  not  my  duty  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  order  it." 

"  Then  I  will  obey." 

"  How  shall  you  go  to  work  ?  " 

"  Why,  madame,  I  do  not  know,  I  should  greatly  like  to  be 
guided  by  your  majesty." 

"  You  fear  noise  ?  " 

« I  admit  it." 

"  Take  a  dozen  sure  men,  if  necessary." 

"  I  understand,  of  course,  that  your  majesty  will  permit  me 
to  do  the  best  I  can  for  myself,  and  I  am  grateful  to  you  for 
this ;  but  where  shall  I  arrest  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Where  would  it  best  please  you  to  arrest  him  ?  " 

"  In  some  place  in  which  I  should  be  warranted  in  doing  so, 
if  possible,  even  by  his  Majesty." 

"  Yes,  I  understand,  in  some  royal  palace ;  what  do  you  say 
to  the  Louvre,  for  instance  ?  " 

"  Oh,  if  your  majesty  would  permit  it,  that  would  be  a  great 
favor." 

"  You  will  arrest  him,  then,  in  the  Louvre." 

"  In  what  part  ?  " 

"In  his  own  room." 

Maurevel  bowed. 

"  When,  madame  ?  " 

"  This  evening,  or  rather  to-night." 

"  Very  well,  madame.  Now,  will  your  majesty  deign  to 
inform  me  on  one  point  ?  " 

«  On  what  point  ?  " 

"  About  the  respect  due  to  his  position." 


282  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Eespect !  position  !  "  said  Catharine,  "  why,  then,  you  do 
not  know,  monsieur,  that  the  King  of  France  owes  respect  to 
no  one  in  his  kingdom,  whoever  he  may  be,  recognizing  no 
position  as  equal  to  his  own  ? " 

Maurevel  bowed  a  second  time. 

"  I  insist  on  this  point,  however,  madame,  if  your  majesty 
will  allow  me." 

"  I  will,  monsieur." 

"  If  the  king  contests  the  authenticity  of  the  order,  which 
is  not  probable,  but "  — 

"  On  the  contrary,  monsieur,  he  is  sure  to  do  so." 

"He  will  contest  it?" 

"  Without  a  doubt." 

"  And  consequently  he  will  refuse  to  obey  it  ?  " 

"  I  fear  so." 

"  And  he  will  resist  ?  " 

«  Probably." 

"  Ah  !  the  devil !  "  said  Maurevel ;  "  and  in  that  case  "  — 

"  In  what  case  ?  "  said  Catharine,  not  moving  her  eyes  from 
him. 

"  Why,  in  case  he  resists,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  do  when  you  are  given  an  order  from  the 
King,  that  is,  when  you  represent  the  King,  and  when  there  is 
any  resistance,  Monsieur  de  Maurevel  ?  " 

"Why,  madame,"  said  the  sbirro,  "when  I  am  honored 
with  such  an  order,  and  when  this  order  refers  to  a  simple 
gentleman,  I  kill  him." 

"  I  told  you,  monsieur,"  said  Catharine,  "  and  I  scarcely 
think  that  sufficient  time  has  elapsed  for  you  to  have  forgotten 
it,  that  the  King  of  France  recognizes  no  position  in  his  king- 
dom, and  that  after  him  the  greatest  are  simple  gentlemen." 

Maurevel  grew  pale,  for  he  was  beginning  to  comprehend. 

"  Oh  !  oh  !  "  he  cried,  "  kill  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Why,  who  is  speaking  of  killing  him  ?  Where  is  the 
order  to  kill  him  ?  The  King  wishes  him  taken  to  the  Bastille, 
and  the  order  contains  nothing  more.  If  he  lets  himself  be 
arrested,  very  good ;  but  as  he  will  not  let  himself  be  arrested, 
as  he  will  resist,  as  he  will  endeavor  to  kill  you  "  — 

Maurevel  grew  paler. 

"  You  will  defend  yourself,"  continued  Catharine.  "  One 
cannot  ask  a  brave  man  like  you  to  let  himself  be  killed  with- 
out defending  himself ;  and  in  defending  yourself,  what  can 


MAU REVEL.  283 

you  expect  ?  You  must  let  come  what  may.  You  under- 
stand me,  do  you  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame ;  and  yet  " 

"  Come,  do  you  want  me  to  write  dead  or  alive  after  the 
words  order  to  arrest  ?  " 

11 1  confess,  madame,  that  that  would  do  away  with  my 
scruples." 

"  Well,  it  must  be  done,  of  course,  since  you  do  not  think 
the  order  can  be  carried  out  without  it." 

And  Catharine  shrugged  her  shoulders,  unrolled  the  parch- 
ment with  one  hand,  and  wrote  with  the  other  :  "  dead  or  alive." 

"  Now,"  said  she,  "  do  you  consider  the  order  all  right  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madarae,"  replied  Maurevel ;  "  but  I  beg  your  maj- 
esty to  leave  the  carrying  out  of  the  entire  affair  to  me." 

"  What  have  I  said  that  will  interfere  with  it  ?  " 

"  Your  majesty  told  me  to  take  a  dozen  men." 

"  Yes,  to  make  sure  "  — 

"  Well,  I  ask  permission  to  take  only  six." 

«  Why  so  ?  " 

"Because,  madame,  if  anything  happens  to  the  prince,  as  it 
probably  will,  it  would  be  easy  to  excuse  six  men  for  having 
been  afraid  of  losing  the  prisoner,  but  no  one  would  excuse  a 
dozen  guards  for  not  having  let  half  of  their  number  be  killed 
before  laying  hands  on  royalty." 

"  Fine  royalty,  in  truth,  which  has  no  kingdom." 

"  Madame,"  said  Maurevel,  "  it  is  not  the  kingdom  which 
makes  the  king :  it  is  birth." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Catharine ;  "  do  as  you  please.  Only  I 
must  warn  you  that  I  do  not  wish  you  to  leave  the  Louvre." 

"  But,  madame,  to  get  my  men  together  ?  " 

"  Have  you  not  a  sort  of  sergeant  whom  you  can  charge  with 
this  duty  ?  " 

"  I  have  my  lackey,  who  not  only  is  a  faithful  fellow,  but 
who  has  even  occasionally  aided  me  in  this  sort  of  thing." 

"  Send  for  him,  and  confer  with  him.  You  know  the  cham- 
ber hung  with  the  King's  arms,  do  you  not  ?  Well,  your 
breakfast  shall  be  served  there  ;  and  from  there  you  shall  give 
your  orders.  The  place  will  aid  you  to  collect  your  wits  in  case 
they  are  scattered.  Then  when  my  son  returns  from  the  hunt, 
you  are  to  go  into  my  oratory,  and  wait  until  the  time  comes." 

"  But  how  are  we  to  get  into  the  room  ?  Probably  the  king 
suspects  something,  and  he  will  shut  himself  up  in  it." 


284  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  I  have  a  duplicate  key  to  every  door,"  said  Catharine, 
"  and  the  bolts  have  been  removed  from  Henry's  room. 
Adieu,  Monsieur  de  Maurevel,  for  a  while.  I  will  have  you 
taken  to  the  King's  armory.  Ah  !  by  the  way  !  remember  that 
the  order  of  a  King  must  be  carried  out  before  anything  else. 
No  excuse  is  admissible ;  a  defeat,  even  a  failure,  would  com- 
promise the  honor  of  the  King.  It  is  a  serious  matter." 

And  Catharine,  without  giving  Maurevel  time  to  answer, 
called  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  the  captain  of  the  guards,  and 
ordered  him  to  conduct  Maurevel  to  the  king's  armory. 

"  My  God  ! "  exclaimed  Maurevel  as  he  followed  his  guide, 
"  I  have  risen  to  the  hierarchy  of  assassination  ;  from  a  simple 
gentleman  to  a  captain,  from  a  captain  to  an  admiral,  from  an 
admiral  to  a  king  without  a  crown.  Who  knows  if  I  shall  not 
some  day  be  a  king  with  a  crown  !  " 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

THE    HUNT. 

THE  outrider  who  had  turned  aside  the  boar  and  who  had 
told  the  King  that  the  animal  had  not  left  the  place  was  not 
mistaken.  Scarcely  were  the  bloodhounds  put  on  the  trail 
before  it  plunged  into  the  thickets,  and  from  a  cluster  of  thorn 
bushes  drove  out  the  boar  which  the  outrider  had  recognized 
by  its  track.  It  was  a  recluse ;  that  is,  the  strangest  kind  of 
animal. 

It  started  straight  ahead  and  crossed  the  road  fifty  feet 
from  the  King,  followed  only  by  the  bloodhound  which  had 
driven  it  back.  The  first  relay  of  dogs  was  at  once  let  loose, 
twenty  in  number,  which  sprang  after  it. 

Hunting  was  Charles'  chief  passion.  Scarcely  had  the 
animal  crossed  the  road  before  he  started  after  it,  followed  by 
the  Due  d'Alenqon  and  Henry,  to  whom  a  sign  had  indicated 
that  he  must  not  leave  Charles. 

The  rest  of  the  hunters  followed  the  King. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing,  the  royal  forests 
were  far  from  being  what  they  are  to-day,  great  parks  inter- 
sected by  carriage  roads.  Then  traffic  was  almost  wanting. 
Kings  had  not  yet  conceived  the  idea  of  being  merchants,  and 


THE    HUNT.  285 

of  dividing  their  woods  into  fellings,  copses,  and  forests.  The 
trees,  planted,  not  by  learned  foresters,  but  by  the  hand  of 
God,  who  threw  the  grain  to  the  will  of  the  winds,  were  not 
arranged  in  quincunxes,  but  grew  as  they  pleased,  as  they  do 
to-day  in  any  virginal  forest  of  America.  In  short,  a  forest  in 
those  days  was  a  den  of  the  wild  boar,  the  stag,  the  wolf,  and 
robbers ;  and  a  dozen  paths  starting  from  one  point  starred 
that  of  Bondy,  surrounded  by  a  circular  road  as  the  circle  of  a 
wheel  surrounds  its  fellies. 

To  carry  the  comparison  further,  the  nave  would  not  be  a 
bad  representation  of  the  single  point  where  the  parties  meet 
in  the  centre  of  the  wood,  where  the  wandering  hunters  rally 
to  start  out  again  towards  the  point  where  the  lost  animal 
again  appears. 

At  the  end  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  there  happened  what 
always  happens  in  such  cases.  Insurmountable  obstacles  rose 
in  the  path  of  the  hunters,  the  cries  of  the  dogs  were  lost  in 
the  distance,  and  the  King  returned  to  the  meeting-place  curs- 
ing and  swearing  as  was  his  habit. 

"  Well,  D' Alencon  !  Well,  Henriot ! "  said  he,  "  there  you 
are,  by  Heaven,  as  calm  and  unruffled  as  nuns  following  their 
abbess.  That  is  not  hunting.  Why,  D'Alenqon,  you  look  as 
though  you  had  just  stepped  out  of  a  band-box,  and  you  are  so 
saturated  with  perfumery  that  if  you  were  to  pass  between  the 
boar  and  my  dogs,  you  might  put  them  off  the  scent.  And 
you,  Henry,  where  is  your  spear,  your  musket  ?  Let  us  see  !  " 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  of  what  use  is  a  musket  ?  I  know 
that  your  Majesty  likes  to  shoot  the  beast  when  the  dogs  have 
caught  it.  As  to  a  spear,  I  am  clumsy  enough  with  this 
weapon,  which  is  not  much  used  among  our  mountains,  where 
we  hunt  the  bear  with  a  simple  dagger." 

"  By  Heavens,  Henry,  when  you  return  to  your  Pyrenees 
you  will  have  to  send  me  a  whole  cartload  of  bears.  It  must 
be  a  pretty  hunt  that  is  carried  on  at  such  close  quarters  with 
an  animal  which  might  strangle  us.  Listen,  I  think  I  hear 
the  dogs.  No,  I  am  mistaken."  The  King  took  his  horn  and 
blew  a  blast ;  several  horns  answered  him.  Suddenly  an  out- 
rider appeared  who  blew  another  blast. 

"  The  boar !  the  boar ! "  cried  the  King. 

He  galloped  off,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  hunters  who 
had  rallied  round  him. 

The  outrider  was  not  mistaken.     As  the  King  advanced  they 


286  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

began  to  hear  the  barking  of  the  pack,  which  consisted  of  more 
than  sixty  dogs,  for  one  after  another  they  had  let  loose  all 
the  relays  placed  at  the  points  the  boar  had  already  passed. 
The  King  saw  the  boar  again,  and  taking  advantage  of  a  clump 
of  high  trees,  he  rushed  after  him,  blowing  his  horn  with  all 
his  might. 

For  some  time  the  princes  followed  him.  But  the  King  had 
such  a  strong  horse  and  was  so  carried  away  by  his  ardor,  and 
he,  rode  over  such  rough  roads  and  through  such  thick  under- 
brush, that  at  first  the  ladies,  then  the  Due  de  Guise  and  his 
gentlemen,  and  finally  the  two  princes,  were  forced  to  abandon 
him.  Tavannes  held  out  for  a  time  longer,  but  at  length  he  too 
gave  up. 

Except  Charles  and  a  few  outriders  who,  excited  over  a 
promised  reward,  would  not  leave  the  King,  everyone  had 
gathered  about  the  open  space  in  the  centre  of  the  wood.  The 
two  princes  were  together  on  a  narrow  path,  the  Due  de  Guise 
and  his  gentlemen  had  halted  a  hundred  feet  from  them. 
Further  on  were  the  ladies. 

"  Does  it  not  really  seem,"  said  the  Due  d'Alenqon  to  Henry, 
indicating  by  a  wink  the  Due  de  Guise,  "  that  that  man  with 
his  escort  sheathed  in  steel  is  the  real  king  ?  Poor  princes 
that  we  are,  he  does  not  even  honor  us  by  a  glance." 

"  Why  should  he  treat  us  better  than  we  treat  our  own 
relatives  ?  "  replied  Henry.  "  Why,  brother,  are  not  you  and  I 
prisoners  at  the  court  of  France,  hostages  from  our  party  ?  " 

Due  Franqois  started  at  these  words,  and  looked  at  Henry 
as  if  to  provoke  further  explanation  ;  but  Henry  had  said  more 
than  he  usually  did  and  was  silent. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Henry  ? "  asked  the  Due  Franqois, 
visibly  annoyed  that  his  brother-in-law  by  stopping  had  left 
him  to  open  the  conversation. 

"  I  say,  brother,"  said  Henry,  "  that  all  these  men  who  are 
so  well  armed,  whose  duty  seems  to  be  not  to  lose  sight  of  us, 
look  exactly  like  guards  preventing  two  people  from  running 
away." 

"  Running  away  ?  why  ?  how  ?  "  asked  D'Alenqon,  admir- 
ably successful  in  his  pretended  surprise  and  innocence. 

"You  have  a  magnificent  mount,  Francois,"  said  Henry, 
following  out  his  thoughts,  while  apparently  changing  the 
conversation.  "  I  am  sure  he  could  make  seven  leagues  in  an 
hour,  and  twenty  between  now  and  noon.  It  is  a  fine  day. 


THE    HUNT.  287 

And  one  feels  like  saying  good-by.  See  the  beautiful  cross- 
road. Does  it  not  tempt  you,  Franqois  ?  As  to  me,  my  spurs 
burn  me." 

Francois  did  not  reply.  But  he  first  turned  red  and  then 
white.  Then  he  bent  his  head,  as  if  listening  for  sounds  from 
the  hunters. 

"  The  news  from  Poland  is  having  its  effect,"  said  Henry, 
"  and  my  dear  brother-in-law  has  his  plans.  He  would  like  me 
to  escape,  but  I  shall  not  do  so  by  myself." 

Scarcely  had  this  thought  passed  through  his  mind  before 
several  new  converts,  who  had  come  to  court  during  the  past 
two  or  three  months,  galloped  up  and  smiled  pleasantly  on 
the  two  princes.  The  Due  d'Alenqon,  provoked  by  Henry's 
remarks,  had  but  one  word  to  say,  one  gesture  to  make,  and  it 
was  evident  that  thirty  or  forty  horsemen,  who  at  that  moment 
gathered  around  them  as  though  to  oppose  the  troop  belonging 
to  Monsieur  de  Guise,  favored  his  flight ;  but  he  turned  aside 
his  head,  and,  raising  his  horn  to  his  lips,  he  sounded  the 
rally.  But  the  newcomers,  as  if  they  thought  that  the  hesita- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  Due  d'Alencon  was  due  to  the  presence 
of  the  followers  of  the  De  Guises,  had  by  degrees  glided  among 
them  and  the  two  princes,  and  had  drawn  themselves  up  in  eche- 
lons with  a  strategic  skill  which  showed  the  usual  military  dis- 
position. In  fact,  to  reach  the  Due  d'Alencon  and  the  King  of 
Xavarre  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  pass  through  this 
company,  while,  as  far  as  eye  could  reach,  a  perfectly  free  road 
stretched  out  before  the  brothers. 

Suddenly  from  among  the  trees,  ten  feet  from  the  King 
of  Navarre,  another  gentleman  appeared,  as  yet  unperceived 
by  the  two  princes.  Henry  was  trying  to  think  who  he  was, 
when  the  gentleman  raised  his  hat  and  Henry  recognized  him 
as  the  Vicomte  de  Turenne,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Protes- 
tant party,  who  was  supposed  to  be  in  Poitou. 

The  vicomte  even  ventured  to  make  a  sign  which  clearly 
meant, 

"  Will  you  come  ?  " 

But  having  consulted  the  impassable  face  and  dull  eye  of 
the  Due  d'Alenqon,  Henry  turned  -his  head  two  or  three  times 
over  his  shoulder  as  if  something  was  the  matter  with  his  neck 
or  doublet. 

This  was  a  refusal.  The  vicomte  understood  it,  put  both 
spurs  to  his  horse  and  disappeared  in  the  thicket.  At  that 


288  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

moment  the  pack  was  heard  approaching,  then  they  saw  the 
boar  followed  by  the  dogs  cross  the  end  of  the  path  where  they 
were  all  gathered ;  then  Charles  IX.,  like  an  infernal  hunter, 
hatless,  the  horn  at  his  mouth  blowing  enough  to  burst  his 
lungs ;  three  or  four  outriders  followed.  Tavannes  had  dis- 
appeared. 

"  The  King ! "  cried  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  and  he  rode  after 
him. 

Reassured  by  the  presence  of  his  good  friends,  Henry  signed 
to  them  not  to  leave,  and  advanced  towards  the  ladies. 

"  Well !  "  said  Marguerite,  taking  a  few  steps  towards  him. 

"  Well,  madame,"  said  Henry,  "  we  are  hunting  the  wild 
boar." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  wind  has  changed  since  morning ;  but  I  believe 
you  predicted  this." 

"  These  changes  of  the  wind  are  bad  for  hunting,  are  they 
not,  monsieur  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  Yes,"  said  Henry  ;  "  they  sometimes  upset  all  plans,  which 
have  to  be  made  over  again.''  Just  then  the  barking  of  the 
dogs  began  to  be  heard  as  they  rapidly  approached,  and  a 
sort  of  noisy  dust  warned  the  hunters  to  be  on  their  guard. 
Each  one  raised  his  head  and  listened. 

Almost  immediately  the  boar  appeared  again,  but  instead  of 
returning  to  the  woods,  he  followed  the  road  that  led  directly 
to  the  open  space  where  were  the  ladies,  the  gentlemen  paying 
court  to  them,  and  the  hunters  who  had  given  up  the  chase. 

Behind  the  animal  came  thirty  or  forty  great  dogs,  panting  ; 
then,  twenty  feet  behind  them,  King  Charles  without  hat  or 
cloak,  his  clothes  torn  by  the  thorns,  his  face  and  hands  covered 
with  blood. 

One  or  two  outriders  were  with  him. 

The  King  stopped  blowing  his  horn  only  to  urge  on  his  dogs, 
and  stopped  urging  on  his  dogs  only  to  return  to  his  horn. 
He  saw  no  one.  Had  his  horse  stumbled,  he  might  have  cried 
out  as  did  Richard  III. :  "  My  kingdom  for  a  horse  !  "  But 
the  horse  seemed  as  eager  as  his  master.  His  feet  did  not 
touch  the  ground,  and  his  nostrils  breathed  forth  fire.  Boar, 
dogs,  and  King  passed  like  a  dream. 

"  Halloo  !  halloo !  "  cried  the  King  as  he  went  by,  raising 
the  horn  to  his  bloody  lips. 

A  few  feet  behind  him  came  the  Due  d'Alengon  and  two 


THE    HUNT.  289 

outriders.  But  the  horses  of  the  others  had  given  out  or  else 
they  were  lost. 

Everyone  started  after  the  King,  for  it  was  evident  that  the 
boar  would  soon  be  taken. 

In  fact,  at  the  end  of  about  ten  minutes  the  animal  left  the 
path  it  had  been  following,  and  sprang  into  the  bushes ;  but 
reaching  an  open  space,  it  ran  to  a  rock  and  faced  the  dogs. 

At  the  shouts  from  Charles,  who  had  followed  it,  everyone 
drew  near. 

They  arrived  at  an  interesting  point  in  the  chase.  The 
boar  seemed  determined  to  make  a  desperate  defence.  The 
dogs,  excited  by  a  run  of  more  than  three  hours,  rushed  on  it 
with  a  fury  which  increased  the  shouts  and  the  oaths  of  the 
King. 

All  the  hunters  formed  a  circle,  the  King  somewhat  in  ad- 
vance, behind  him  the  Due  d'Alenqon  armed  with  a  musket, 
and  Henry,  who  had  nothing  but  his  simple  hunting  knife. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  unfastened  his  musket  and  lighted  the 
match.  Henry  moved  his  knife  in  its  sheath. 

As  to  the  Due  de  Guise,  disdainful  of  all  the  details  of 
hunting,  he  stood  somewhat  apart  from  the  others  with  his 
gentlemen.  The  women,  gathered  together  in  a  group,  formed  a 
counterpart  to  that  of  the  duke. 

Everyone  who  was  anything  of  a  hunter  stood  with  eyes 
fixed  on  the  animal  in  anxious  expectation. 

To  one  side  an  outrider  was  endeavoring  to  restrain  the 
King's  two  mastiffs,  which,  encased  in  their  coats  of  mail, 
were  waiting  to  take  the  boar  by  the  ears,  howling  and  jump- 
ing about  in  such  a  manner  that  every  instant  one  might  think 
they  would  burst  their  chains. 

The  boar  made  a  wonderful  resistance.  Attacked  at  once 
by  forty  or  more  dogs,  which  enveloped  it  like  a  roaring  tide, 
which  covered  it  by  their  motley  carpet,  which  on  all  sides 
was  striving  to  reach  its  skin,  wrinkled  with  bristles,  at  each 
blow  of  its  snout  it  hurled  a  dog  ten  feet  in  the  air.  The  dogs 
fell  back,  torn  to  pieces,  and,  with  entrails  dragging,  at  once 
returned  to  the  fray.  Charles,  with  hair  on  end,  bloodshot 
eyes,  and  inflated  nostrils,  leaned  over  the  neck  of  his  dripping 
horse  shouting  furious  "  halloos  ! " 

In  less  than  ten  minutes  twenty  dogs  were  out  of  the  fight. 

"  The  mastiffs ! "  cried  Charles  ;  "the  mastiffs  ! " 

At  this  shout  the  outrider  opened  the  carbine-swivels  of  the 


290  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

leashes,  and  the  two  bloodhounds  rushed  into  the  midst  of  the 
carnage,  overturning  everything,  scattering  everything,  making 
a  way  with  their  coats  of  mail  to  the  animal,  which  they  seized 
by  the  ear. 

The  boar,  knowing  that  it  was  caught,  clinched  its  teeth 
both  from  rage  and  pain. 

"  Bravo,  Duredent !  Bravo,  Risquetout !  "  cried  Charles. 
"  Courage,  dogs !  A  spear !  a  spear  ! " 

"  Do  you  not  want  my  musket  ?  "  said  the  Due  d'Alengon. 

"  No,"  cried  the  King,  "  no ;  one  cannot  feel  a  bullet  when 
he  shoots  ;  there  is  no  fun  in  it ;  but  one  can  feel  a  spear.  A 
spear !  a  spear ! " 

They  handed  the  King  a  hunting  spear  hardened  by  fire 
and  armed  with  a  steel  point. 

"  Take  care,  brother  !  "  cried  Marguerite. 

"  Come !  come  !  "  cried  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers.  "  Do  not 
miss,  sire.  Give  the  beast  a  good  stab ! " 

"  Be  easy,  duchess  ! "  said  Charles. 

Couching  his  lance,  he  darted  at  the  boar  which,  held  by  the 
two  bloodhounds,  could  not  escape  the  blow.  But  at  sight  of 
the  shining  lance  it  turned  to  one  side,  and  the  weapon, 
instead  of  sinking  into  its  breast,  glided  over  its  shoulder  and 
blunted  itself  against  the  rock  to  which  the  animal  had  run. 

"  A  thousand  devils  ! "  cried  the  King.  "  I  have  missed  him. 
A  spear !  a  spear ! " 

And  bending  back,  as  horsemen  do  when  they  are  going  to 
take  a  fence,  he  hurled  his  useless  lance  from  him. 

An  outrider  advanced  and  offered  him  another. 

But  at  that  moment,  as  though  it  foresaw  the  fate  which 
awaited  it,  and  which  it  wished  to  resist,  by  a  violent  effort  the 
boar  snatched  its  torn  ears  from  the  teeth  of  the  bloodhounds, 
and  with  eyes  bloody,  protruding,  hideous,  its  breath  burning 
like  the  heat  from  a  furnace,  with  chattering  teeth  and  lowered 
head  it  sprang  at  the  King's  horse.  Charles  was  too  good  a 
hunter  not  to  have  foreseen  this.  He  turned  his  horse,  which 
began  to  rear,  but  he  had  miscalculated  the  pressure,  and  the 
horse,  too  tightly  reined  in,  or  perhaps  giving  way  to  his  fright, 
fell  over  backwards.  The  spectators  gave  a  terrible  cry  :  the 
horse  had  fallen,  and  the  King's  leg  was  under  him. 

"Your  hand,  sire,  give  me  your  hand,"  said  Henry. 

The  King  let  go  his  horse's  bridle,  seized  the  saddle  with  his 
left  hand,  and  tried  to  draw  out  his  hunting  knife  with  his 


THE    HUNT.  291 

right ;  but  the  knife,  pressed  into  his  belt  by  the  weight  of 
his  body,  would  not  come  from  its  sheath. 

"  The  boar !  the  boar !  "  cried  Charles ;  "  it  is  on  me,  D'Alen- 
qon  !  on  me  ! " 

The  horse,  recovering  himself  as  if  he  understood  his  mas- 
ter's danger,  stretched  his  muscles,  and  had  already  succeeded 
in  getting  up  on  its  three  legs,  when,  at  the  cry  from  his 
brother,  Henry  saw  the  Due  Francois  grow  frightfully  pale 
and  raise  the  musket  to  his  shoulder,  but,  instead  of  striking 
the  boar,  which  was  but  two  feet  from  the  King,  the  ball  broke 
the  knee  of  the  horse,  which  fell  down  again,  his  nose  touching 
the  ground.  At  that  instant  the  boar,  with  its  snout,  tore 
Charles's  boot. 

"  Oh  !  '•'  murmured  D'Alenqon  with  ashy  lips,  "  I  suppose 
that  the  Due  d'Anjou  is  King  of  France,  and  that  I  am  King 
of  Poland." 

The  boar  was  about  to  attack  Charles's  leg,  when  suddenly 
the  latter  felt  someone  raise  his  arm  ;  then  he  saw  the  flash  of  a 
sharp-pointed  blade  which  was  driven  into  the  shoulder  of  the 
boar  and  disappeared  up  to  its  guard,  while  a  hand  gloved  in 
steel  turned  aside  the  head  already  poked  under  his  clothes. 

As  the  horse  had  risen,  Charles  had  succeeded  in  freeing 
his  leg,  and  now  raising  himself  heavily,  he  saw  that  he  was 
dripping  with  blood,  whereupon  he  became  as  pale  as  a  corpse. 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  who  still  knelt  holding  the  boar  pierced 
to  the  heart,  "  sire,  it  is  nothing,  I  turned  aside  the  teeth,  and 
your  Majesty  is  not  hurt." 

Then  he  rose,  let  go  the  knife,  and  the  boar  fell  back  pour- 
ing forth  more  blood  from  its  mouth  than  from  its  wound. 

Charles,  surrounded  by  a  breathless  crowd,  assailed  by  cries 
of  terror  which  would  have  dashed  the  greatest  courage,  was 
for  a  moment  ready  to  fall  on  the  dying  animal.  But  he 
recovered  himself  and,  turning  toward  the  King  of  Navarre, 
he  pressed  his  hand  with  a  look  in  which  shone  the  first  spark 
of  feeling  that  had  been  roused  in  his  heart  for  twenty-four 
years. 

"  Thank  you,  Henri ot !  "  said  he. 

"  My  poor  brother !  "  cried  D'Alenc,on,  approaching  Charles. 

"  Ah !  it  is  you,  D' Alenqon,  is  it  ?  "  said  the  King.  "  Well, 
famous  marksman  that  you  are,  what  became  of  your  ball  ?  " 

"  It  must  have  flattened  itself  against  the  boar,"  said  the 
duke. 


292  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Well !  my  God  ! "  exclaimed  Henry,  with  admirably  as- 
sumed surprise ;  "  you  see,  Franqois,  your  bullet  has  broken 
the  leg  of  his  Majesty's  horse.  That  is  strange  ! " 

«  What ! "  said  the  King  ;  "  is  that  true  ?  " 

"  It  is  possible,"  said  the  duke  terrified ;  "  my  hand  shook 
so!" 

"  The  fact  is  that  for  a  clever  marksman  that  was  a  strange 
thing  to  do,  Franqois  ! "  said  Charles  frowning.  "  A  second 
time,  Henriot,  I  thank  you  !  " 

"  Gentlemen,"  continued  the  King,  "  let  us  return  to  Paris ;  I 
have  had  enough  of  this." 

Marguerite  came  up  to  congratulate  Henry. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Margot,"  said  Charles,  "  congratulate  him, 
and  sincerely  too,  for  without  him  the  King  of  France  would 
be  Henry  III." 

"  Alas,  madame,"  said  the  Bearnais,  "  Monsieur  le  Due 
d'Anjou,  who  is  already  my  enemy,  will  be  angrier  than  ever 
at  me.  But  what  can  you  expect  ?  One  does  what  one  can. 
Ask  Monsieur  d'Alenqon." 

And  bowing,  he  drew  his  knife  from  the  wild  boar's  body 
and  dug  it  two  or  three  times  into  the  earth  to  wipe  off  the 
blood. 


PART    II. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

FRATERNITY. 

IN  saving  the  life  of  Charles,  Henry  had  done  more  than 
save  the  life  of  a  man,  —  he  had  prevented  three  kingdoms 
from  changing  sovereigns. 

Had  Charles  IX.  been  killed,  the  Due  d'Anjou  would  have 
become  King  of  France,  and  the  Due  d'Alenqon  in  all  prob- 
ability would  have  been  King  of  Poland.  As  to  Navarre,  as 
Monsieur  le  Due  d'Anjou  was  the  lover  of  Madame  de  Conde, 
its  crown  would  probably  have  paid  to  the  husband  the  com- 
placency of  his  wife.  Now  in  all  this  no  good  would  have 
come  to  Henry.  He  would  have  changed  masters,  that  would 
have  been  all.  Instead  of  Charles  IX.  who  tolerated  him, 
he  would  have  seen  the  Due  d'Anjou  on  the  throne  of  France, 
and  being  of  one  heart  and  mind  with  his  mother  Catharine, 
the  latter  had  sworn  that  he  should  die,  and  he  would  not 
have  failed  to  keep  his  oath.  All  these  thoughts  entered  his 
mind  when  the  wild  boar  sprang  at  Charles  IX.,  and  we  know 
that  the  result  of  his  rapid  thinking  was  that  his  own  life  was 
attached  to  that  of  Charles  IX. 

Charles  IX.  had  been  saved  by  an  act  of  devotion,  the  motive 
of  which  the  King  could  not  fathom.  But  Marguerite  had 
understood,  and  she  had  admired  that  strange  courage  of 
Henry  which,  like  flashes  of  lightning,  shone  only  in  a  storm. 

Unfortunately  it  was  not  all  to  have  escaped  the  kingd  om  of 
the  Due  d'Anjou.  Henry  had  to  make  himself  king.  He  had 
to  dispute  Navarre  with  the  Due  d'AlenQon  and  with  the 
Prince  of  Conde ;  above  all  he  had  to  leave  the  court  where 
one  walked  only  between  two  precipices,  and  go  away  protected 
by  a  son  of  France. 

As  he  returned  from  Bondy  Henry  pondered  deeply  on  the 

293 


294  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

situation.  On  arriving  at  the  Louvre  his  plan  was  formed. 
Without  removing  his  riding-boots,  just  as  he  was,  covered 
with  dust  and  blood,  he  betook  himself  to  the  apartments  of 
the  Due  d'Alenqon,  whom  he  found  striding  up  and  down  in 
great  agitation. 

On  perceiving  him  the  prince  gave  a  start  of  surprise. 

"  Yes,"  said  Henry,  taking  him  by  both  hands ;  "  yes,  I 
understand,  my  good  brother,  you  are  angry  because  I  was  the 
first  to  call  the  King's  attention  to  the  fact  that  your  ball 
struck  the  leg  of  his  horse  instead  of  the  boar,  as  you  intended 
it  should.  But  what  can  you  expect  ?  I  could  not  prevent 
an  exclamation  of  surprise.  Besides,  the  King  would  have 
noticed  it,  would  he  not?" 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt,"  murmured  D'Alenqon.  "  And  yet  I 
can  think  of  it  only  as  an  evil  intention  on  your  part  to 
denounce  me  as  you  did,  and  which,  as  you  yourself  saw,  had 
no  result  except  to  make  my  brother  Charles  suspect  me,  and 
to  make  hard  feeling  between  us." 

"  We  will  return  to  this  in  a  few  moments.  As  to  my  good 
or  evil  intentions  regarding  you,  I  have  come  to  you  on  pur- 
pose that  you  may  judge  them." 

"  Very  good  !  "  said  D'Alenqon  with  his  customary  reserve. 
"  Speak,  Henry,  I  am  listening." 

"  When  I  have  spoken,  Franqois,  you  will  readily  see  what 

my  intentions  are,  for  the  confidence  I  am  going  to  place  in 

you  does  away  with  all  reserve  and  prudence.     And  when  I 

have  told  you,  you  will  be  able  to  ruin  me  by  a  single  word  ! " 

.  "  What  is  it  ?  "  said  Franqois,  beginning  to  be  anxious. 

"  And  yet,"  continued  Henry,  "  I  have  hesitated  a  long  time 
to  speak  to  you  of  the  thing  which  brings  me  here,  especially 
after  the  way  in  which  you  turned  a  deaf  ear  to-day." 

"  Really,"  said  Francois,  growing  pale,  "  I  do  not  know 
what  you  mean,  Henry." 

"  Brother,  your  interests  are  too  dear  to  me  not  to  tell  you 
that  the  Huguenots  have  made  advances  to  me." 

"  Advances  !  "  said  D'Alenqon.     "  What  advances  ?  " 

"  One  of  them,  Monsieur  de  Mouy  of  Saint  Phal,  the  son  of 
the  brave  De  Mouy,  assassinated  by  Maurevel,  you  know  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  he  came  at  the  risk  of  his  life  to  show  me  that  I 
was  in  captivity." 

"  Ah !  indeed  !  and  what  did  you  say  to  him  ?  " 


FRA  TERNITY.  295 

"  Brother,  you  know  that  I  love  Charles  dearly.  He  has 
saved  my  life,  and  the  queen  mother  has  been  like  a  real 
mother  to  me.  So  I  refused  all  the  offers  he  made  me." 

"  What  were  these  offers  ?  " 

"  The  Huguenots  want  to  reconstruct  the  throne  of  Navarre, 
and  as  in  reality  this  throne  belongs  to  me  by  inheritance, 
they  offered  it  to  me." 

"  Yes  ;  and  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  instead  of  the  consent  he 
expected  to  ask  for,  has  received  your  relinquish  men  t  ?  " 

"  My  formal  relinquishmeut —  even  in  writing.  But  since," 
continued  Henry. 

"  You  have  repented,  brother  ?  "  interrupted  D'Alenqon. 

"  No,  I  merely  thought  I  noticed  that  Monsieur  de  Mouy 
had  become  discontented  with  me,  and  was  paying  his  visits 
elsewhere." 

"  Where  ?  "  asked  Franqois  quickly. 

"  I  do  not  know.     At  the  Prince  of  Conde's  perhaps." 

"  Yes,  that  might  be,"  said  the  duke. 

"  Besides,"  went  on  Henry,  "  I  have  positive  knowledge  as 
to  the  leader  he  has  chosen." 

Francois  grew  pale. 

"  But,"  continued  Henry,  "  the  Huguenots  are  divided 
among  themselves,  and  De  Mouy,  brave  and  loyal  as  he  is, 
represents  only  one-half  of  the  party.  Now  this  other  half, 
which  is  not  to  be  scorned,  has  not  given  up  the  hope  of  having 
Henry  of  Navarre  on  the  throne,  who  having  hesitated  at  first 
may  have  reflected  since." 

«  You  think  this  ?  " 

"  Oh,  every  day  I  receive  proofs  of  it.  The  troops  which 
joined  us  at  the  hunt,  did  you  notice  of  what  men  it  was  com- 
posed ?  " 

"  Yes,  of  converted  gentlemen." 

"  Did  you  recognize  the  leader  of  the  troop  who  signed  to 
me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  was  the  Vicomte  de  Turenne." 

"  Did  you  know  what  they  wanted  of  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  they  proposed  to  you  to  escape." 

"  Then,"  said  Henry  to  Franqois,  who  was  growing  restless, 
"  there  is  evidently  a  second  party  which  wants  something 
else  besides  what  Monsieur  de  Mouy  wants." 

"  A  second  party  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  a  very  powerful  one,  I  tell  you,  so  that  in  order 


296  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

to  succeed  it  is  necessary  to  unite  the  two  —  Turenne  and  De 
Mouy.  The  conspiracy  progresses,  the  troops  are  ready,  the 
signal  alone  is  waited  for.  Now  in  this  supreme  situation, 
which  demands  prompt  solution  on  my  part,  I  have  come  to 
two  decisions  between  which  I  am  wavering.  I  have  come  to 
submit  these  decisions  to  you  as  to  a  friend." 

"  Say  rather  as  to  a  brother." 

"  Yes,  as  to  a  brother,"  went  on  Henry. 

"  Speak,  then,  I  am  listening." 

"  In  the  first  place  I  ought  to  explain  to  you  the  condition 
of  my  mind,  my  dear  Francois.  No  desire,  no  ambition,  no 
ability.  I  am  an  honest  country  gentleman,  poor,  sensual,  and 
timid.  The  career  of  conspirator  offers  me  indignities  poorly 
compensated  for  even  by  the  certain  prospect  of  a  crown." 

"Ah,  brother,"  said  FraiiQois,  "you  do  wrong.  Sad  indeed 
is  the  position  of  a  prince  whose  fortune  is  limited  by  the 
boundary  of  the  paternal  estate  or  by  a  man  in  a  career  for 
honors!  I  do  not  believe,  therefore,  in  what  you  tell  me." 

"  And  yet  what  I  tell  you  is  so  true,  brother,  that  if  I  thought 
I  had  a  true  friend,  I  would  resign  in  his  favor  the  power 
which  this  party  wishes  to  give  me ;  but,"  he  added  with  a 
sigh,  "  I  have  none." 

"  Perhaps  you  have.     You  probably  are  mistaken." 

"  No,  venire  saint  gris  !  "  said  Henry,  "  except  yourself, 
brother,  I  see  no  one  who  is  attached  to  me ;  so  that  rather 
than  let  fail  an  attempt  which  might  bring  to  light  some  un- 
worthy man,  I  truly  prefer  to  inform  my  brother  the  King  of 
what  is  taking  place.  I  will  mention  no  names,  I  will  desig- 
nate neither  country  nor  date,  but  I  will  foretell  the  catas- 
trophe." 

"  Great  God !  "  exclaimed  D'Alencjon  unable  to  repress  his 
terror,  "  what  do  you  mean  ?  What !  you,  you,  the  sole  hope 
of  the  party  since  the  death  of  the  admiral ;  you,  a  converted 
Huguenot,  a  poor  convert,  or  at  least  such  you  were  thought  to 
be,  you  would  raise  the  knife  against  your  brothers  !  Henry, 
Henry,  by  doing  this,  do  you  know  that  you  would  be  de- 
livering to  a  second  Saint  Bartholomew  all  the  Calviuists  in 
the  kingdom  ?  Do  you  know  that  Catharine  is  waiting  for 
just  such  a  chance  to  exterminate  all  who  have  survived  ?" 

And  the  duke  trembling,  his  face  spotted  with  red  and  white 
blotches,  pressed  Henry's  hand  to  beg  him  to  give  up  this 
idea  which  would  ruin  him. 


FRATERNITY.  297 

"  What !  "  said  Henry,  with  an  expression  of  perfect  good- 
humor,  "  do  you  think  there  would  be  so  much  trouble,  Fran- 
Qois  ?  With  the  King's  word,  however,  it  seems  to  me  that  I 
should  avoid  it." 

"  The  word  of  King  Charles  IX.,  Henry  !  Did  not  the 
admiral  have  it  ?  Did  not  Teligny  have  it  ?  Did  not  you 
yourself  have  it  ?  Oh,  Henry,  I  tell  you  if  you  do  this,  you 
will  ruin  us  all.  Not  only  them,  but  all  who  have  had  direct 
or  indirect  relations  with  them." 

Henry  seemed  to  ponder  an  instant. 

"  If  I  were  an  important  prince  at  court,"  said  he,  "  I  should 
act  differently.  In  your  place,  for  instance,  in  your  place, 
Franqois,  a  son  of  France,  and  probable  heir  to  the  crown  "  — 

Francois  shook  his  head  ironically. 

"  In  my  place,"  said  he,  "  what  would  you  do  ?  " 

"  In  your  place,  brother,"  replied  Henry,  "  I  should  place 
myself  at  the  head  of  the  movement  and  direct  it.  My  name 
and  my  credit  should  answer  to  my  conscience  for  the  life  of 
the  rebellious,  and  I  should  derive  some  benefit  first  for  my- 
self, then  for  the  King,  perhaps,  from  an  enterprise  which 
otherwise  might  do  the  greatest  injury  to  France." 

D'Alengon  listened  to  these  words  with  a  joy  which  caused 
every  muscle  of  his  face  to  expand. 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  he,  "  that  this  method  is  practicable 
and  that  it  would  save  us  all  the  disasters  you  foresee  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,"  said  Henry.  "  The  Huguenots  love  you.  Your 
bearing  is  modest,  your  position  both  high  and  interesting,  and 
the  kindness  you  have  always  shown  to  those  of  the  faith  will 
incline  them  to  serve  you." 

"  But,"  said  D'Alenqon,  "  there  is  a  division  in  the  party. 
Will  those  who  want  you  want  me  ?  " 

"  I  will  undertake  to  bring  them  together  by  two  means." 

"  What  means  ?  " 

"  First,  by  the  confidence  the  leaders  have  in  me ;  then  by 
the  fear  that  your  highness,  knowing  their  names  "  — 

"  But  who  will  tell  me  these  names  ?  " 

"  I,  venire  saint  gris  !  " 

"  You  will  do  that  ?  " 

"  Listen,  Francois  ;  as  I  told  you,  you  are  the  only  one  I  love 
at  court,"  said  Henry.  "  This,  no  doubt,  is  because  you  are  per- 
secuted like  myself ;  and  then  my  wife,  too,  loves  you  with  an 
affection  which  is  unequalled  "  — 


298  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Francois  flushed  with  pleasure. 

"  Believe  me,  brother,"  continued  Henry  ;  "  take  this  thing  in 
hand,  reign  in  Navarre  ;  and  provided  you  keep  a  place  at  your 
table  for  me,  and  a  fine  forest  in  which  to  hunt,  I  shall  con- 
sider myself  fortunate." 

"  Reign  in  Navarre  ! "  said  the  duke  ;  "  but  if  "  — 

"  If  the  Due  d'Anjou  is  chosen  King  of  Poland  ;  is  that  it  ? 
I  will  finish  your  thought  for  you." 

Frangois  looked  at  Henry  with  something  like  terror. 

"  Well,  listen,  Francois,"  continued  Henry,  "  since  nothing 
escapes  you.  This  is  how  I  reason :  If  the  Due  d'Anjou  is 
chosen  King  of  Poland,  and  our  brother  Charles,  God  keep  him ! 
should  happen  to  die,  it  is  but  two  hundred  leagues  from  Pan 
to  Paris,  while  it  is  four  hundred  from  Paris  to  Cracovie.  So 
you  would  be  here  to  receive  the  inheritance  by  the  time 
the  King  of  Poland  learned  it  was  vacant.  Then,  if  you  are 
satisfied  with  me,  you  could  give  me  the  kingdom  of  Navarre, 
which  would  thenceforth  be  merely  one  of  the  jewels  in  your 
crown.  In  that  way  I  would  accept  it.  The  worst  that  could 
happen  to  you  would  be  that  you  would  remain  king  there  and 
bring  up  a  race  of  kings  by  living  with  me  and  my  family, 
while  here,  what  are  you  ?  a  poor  persecuted  prince,  a  poor 
third  son  of  a  king,  the  slave  of  two  elder  brothers,  and  one 
whom  a  whim  may  send  to  the  Bastille." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Francois ;  "  I  know  that  very  well,  so  well 
that  I  do  not  see  why  you  should  give  up  this  plan  you  pro- 
pose to  me.  Is  there  no  throb  there  ?  " 

And  the  Due  d'Alenqon  put  his  hand  on  his  brother's  heart. 

"  There  are,"  said  Henry,  smiling,  "  burdens  too  heavy  for 
some  hands ;  therefore  I  shall  not  try  to  raise  this  one  ;  fear 
of  fatigue  is  greater  than  the  desire  of  possession." 

"  So,  Henry,  you  really  renounce  it  ?  " 

"I  said  so  to  De  Mouy  and  I  repeat  it  to  you." 

"  But  in  such  cases,  my  dear  brother,"  said  D'Alenqon,  "  one 
does  not  say,  one  proves." 

Henry  breathed  like  a  pugilist  who  feels  his  enemy's  back 
bending. 

"  I  will  prove  it  this  evening,"  said  he.  "  At  nine  o'clock  we 
shall  have  the  names  of  the  leaders  and  the  plan  of  the  under- 
taking. I  have  already  sent  my  renunciation  to  De  Mouy." 

Frangois  took  Henry's  hand  and  pressed  it  effusively  between 
his  own. 


FRA  TERNITY.  299 

At  that  moment  Catharine  entered  the  Due  d'Alenqon's 
rooms,  unannounced,  as  was  her  habit. 

"  Together  !  "  said  she,  smiling ;  "  two  good  brothers, 
truly  !  " 

"  I  trust  so,  madame,"  said  Henry,  with  great  coolness,  while 
the  Due  d'Alencon  turned  white  from  distress. 

Henry  stepped  back  to  leave  Catharine  free  to  speak  with 
her  son. 

The  queen  mother  drew  a  magnificent  jewel  from  her  bag. 

"  This  clasp  comes  from  Florence,"  said  she.  "  I  will  give 
it  to  you  for  the  belt  of  your  sword." 

Then  in  a  low  tone : 

"  If  to-night  you  hear  any  noise  in  your  good  brother  Henry's 
room,  do  not  stir." 

Francois  pressed  his  mother's  hand,  and  said : 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  show  Henry  the  beautiful  gift  you 
have  just  given  me  ?  " 

"  You  may  do  more.  Give  it  to  him  in  your  name  and  in 
mine,  for  I  have  ordered  a  second  one  just  like  it." 

"  You  hear,  Henry,"  said  Franqois,  "  my  good  mother  brings 
me  this  jewel  and  doubles  its  value  by  allowing  me  to  give  it 
to  you." 

Henry  went  into  ecstasies  over  the  beauty  of  the  clasp,  and 
was  enthusiastic  in  his  thanks.  When  his  delight  had  grown 
calmer  : 

"  My  sou,"  said  Catharine,  "  I  feel  somewhat  indisposed 
and  I  am  going  to  bed ;  your  brother  Charles  is  greatly 
wearied  from  his  fall  and  is  going  to  do  the  same.  So  we 
shall  not  have  supper  together  this  evening,  but  each  will  be 
served  in  his  own  room.  Oh,  Henry,  I  forgot  to  congratulate 
you  on  your  bravery  and  quickness.  You  saved  your  king  and 
your  brother,  and  you  shall  be  rewarded  for  it." 

"  I  am  already  rewarded,  madame,"  replied  Henry,  bowing. 

"  By  the  feeling  that  you  have  done  your  duty  ?  "  replied 
Catharine.  "  That  is  not  enough,  and  Charles  and  I  will  do 
something  to  pay  the  debt  we  owe  you." 

"  Everything  that  comes  to  me  from  you  and  my  good  brother 
will  be  welcome,  madame." 

Then  he  bowed  and  withdrew. 

"  Ah  !  brother  Francois  !  "  thought  Henry  as  he  left,  "  I  am 
sure  now  of  not  leaving  alone,  and  the  conspiracy  which  had  a 
body  has  found  a  head  and  a  heart.  Only  let  us  look  out  for 


300  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

ourselves.  Catharine  gives  me  a  present,  Catharine  promises 
me  a  reward.  There  is  some  deviltry  beneath  it  all.  I  must 
confer  this  evening  with  Marguerite." 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

THE    GRATITUDE    OP    KING    CHARLES    IX. 

MAUREVEL  had  spent  a  part  of  the  day  in  the  King's  armory  ; 
but  when  it  was  time  for  the  hunters  to  return  from  the  chase 
Catharine  sent  him  into  her  oratory  with  the  guards  who  had 
joined  him. 

Charles  IX.,  informed  by  his  nurse  on  his  arrival  that  a  man 
had  spent  part  of  the  day  in  his  room,  was  at  first  very  angry 
that  a  stranger  had  been  admitted  into  his  apartments.  But 
his  nurse  described  the  man,  saying  that  he  was  the  same  one 
she  herself  had  been  ordered  to  admit  one  evening,  and  the 
King  realized  that  it  was  Maurevel.  Then  remembering  the 
order  his  mother  had  wrung  from  him  that  morning,  he  under- 
stood everything. 

"  Oh,  ho  !  "  murmured  Charles,  "  the  same  day  on  which  he 
has  saved  my  life.  The  time  is  badly  chosen.'' 

He  started  to  go  to  his  mother,  but  one  thought  deterred 
him. 

"  By  Heaven !  If  I  mention  this  to  her  it  will  result  in  a 
never-ending  discussion.  Better  for  us  to  act  by  ourselves. 

"  Nurse,"  said  he,  "  lock  every  door,  and  say  to  Queen  Eliza- 
beth l  that  I  am  suffering  somewhat  from  the  fall  I  have  had, 
and  that  I  shall  sleep  alone  to-night." 

The  nurse  obeyed,  and  as  it  was  not  yet  time  for  the  execu- 
tion of  his  plan,  Charles  sat  himself  down  to  compose  poetry. 
It  was  this  occupation  which  made  the  time  pass  most  quickly 
for  the  King.  Nine  o'clock  struck  before  he  thought  it  was 
more  than  seven.  He  counted  the  strokes  of  the  clock  one  by 
one,  and  at  the  last  he  rose. 

"  The  devil !  "  said  he,  "  it  is  just  time."  Taking  his  hat  and 
cloak,  he  left  his  room  by  a  secret  door  he  had  had  made  in 


1  Charles  IX.  had  married  Elizabeth  of  Austria,  daughter  of  Maximilian. 


THE   GRATITUDE   OF  KING   CHARLES  IX.       301 

the  wall,  of  the  existence  of  which  even  Catharine  herself  was 
ignorant. 

Charles  went  directly  to  Henry's  apartments.  On  leaving 
the  Due  d'Alenqon,  the  latter  had  gone  to  his  rooom  to  change 
his  clothes  and  had  left  again  at  once. 

"  He  probably  has  decided  to  take  supper  with  Margot,"  said 
the  King.  "  He  was  very  pleasant  with  her  to-day,  at  least  so 
it  seemed  to  me.'' 

He  went  to  the  queen's  apartments.  Marguerite  had  brought 
back  with  her  the  Duehesse  de  Nevers,  Coconnas,  and  La  Mole, 
and  was  having  a  supper  of  preserves  and  pastry  with  them. 

Charles  knocked  at  the  hall  door,  which  was  opened  by 
Gillonne.  But  at  sight  of  the  King  she  was  so  frightened  that 
she  scarcely  had  sufficient  presence  of  mind  to  courtesy,  and  in- 
stead of  running  to  inform  her  mistress  of  the  august  visit  she 
was  to  have,  she  let  Charles  enter  without  other  warning  than  the 
cry  that  had  escaped  her.  The  King  crossed  the  antechamber, 
and  guided  by  the  bursts  of  laughter  advanced  towards  the 
dining-room. 

"Poor  Henriot!"  said  he,  "he  is  enjoying  himself  without 
a  thought  of  evil." 

"  It  is  I,"  said  he,  raising  the  portiere  and  showing  ft  smil- 
ing face. 

Marguerite  gave  a  terrible  cry.  Smiling  as  he  was,  his 
face  appeared  to  her  like  the  face  of  Medusa.  Seated  opposite 
the  door,  she  had  recognized  him  at  once.  The  two  men  turned 
their  backs  to  the  King. 

"  Your  Majesty  !  "  cried  the  queen,  rising  in  terror. 

The  three  other  guests  felt  their  heads  begin  to  swim ; 
Coconnas  alone  retained  his  self-possession.  He  rose  also,  but 
with  such  tactful  clumsiness  that  in  doing  so  he  upset  the 
table,  and  with  it  the  glass,  plate,  and  candles.  Instantly 
there  was  complete  darkness  and  the  silence  of  death. 

"  Run,"  said  Coconnas  to  La  Mole ;  "  quick  !  quick !  " 

La  Mole  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice.  Springing  to  the 
side  of  the  wall,  he  began  groping  with  his  hands  for  the 
sleeping-room,  that  he  might  hide  in  the  cabinet  that  opened 
out  of  it  and  which  he  knew  so  well.  But  as  he  stepped 
across  the  threshold  he  ran  against  a  man  who  had  just  entered 
by  the  secret  corridor. 

"  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  "  asked  Charles,  in  the  dark- 
ness, in  a  tone  which  was  beginning  to  betray  a  formidable 


302  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

accent  of  impatience.  "  Am  I  such  a  mar-joy  that  the  sight  of 
me  causes  all  this  confusion  ?  Come,  Henriot !  Henriot !  where 
are  you  ?  Answer  me." 

"  We  are  saved ! "  murmured  Marguerite,  seizing  a  hand 
which  she  took  for  that  of  La  Mole.  "  The  King  thinks  my 
husband  is  one  of  our  guests." 

"  And  I  shall  let  him  think  so,  madame,  you  may  be  sure," 
said  Henry,  answering  the  queen  in  the  same  tone. 

"  Great  God  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  hastily  dropping  the  hand 
she  held,  which  was  that  of  the  King  of  Navarre. 

"  Silence  !  "  said  Henry. 

"  In  the  name  of  a  thousand  devils !  why  are  you  whisper- 
ing in  this  way  ?"  cried  Charles.  "Henry,  answer  me  ;  where 
are  you  ?  " 

"  Here,  sire,"  said  the  King  of  Navarre. 

"  The  devil  ! "  said  Coconnas,  who  was  holding  the  Duchesse 
de  Nevers  in  a  corner,  "  the  plot  thickens." 

"  In  that  case  we  are  doubly  lost,"  said  Henriette. 

Coconnas,  brave  to  the  point  of  rashness,  had  reflected  that 
the  candles  would  have  to  be  lighted  sooner  or  later,  and  think- 
ing the  sooner  the  better,  he  dropped  the  hand  of  Madame  de 
Nevers,  picked  up  a  taper  from  the  midst  of  the  debris,  and 
going  to  a  brazier  blew  on  a  piece  of  coal,  with  which  he  at 
once  made  a  light.  The  chamber  was  again  illuminated. 
Charles  IX.  glanced  around  inquiringly. 

Henry  was  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers 
was  alone  in  a  corner,  while  Coconnas  stood  in  the  centre  of 
the  room,  candle-stick  in  hand,  lighting  up  the  whole  scene. 

"  Excuse  me,  brother,"  said  Marguerite,  "  we  were  not  ex- 
pecting you." 

"  So,  as  you  may  have  perceived,  your  Majesty  filled  us  with 
strange  terror,"  said  Henriette. 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Henry,  who  had  surmised  everything, 
"  I  think  the  fear  was  so  real  that  in  rising  I  overturned  the 
table." 

Coconnas  glanced  at  the  King  of  Navarre  as  much  as  to  say  : 

"  Good  !     Here  is  a  man  who  understands  at  once." 

"  What  a  frightful  hubbub  !  "  repeated  Charles  IX.  «  Your 
supper  is  ruined,  Henriot ;  come  with  me  and  you  shall  finish 
it  elsewhere ;  I  will  carry  you  off  this  evening." 

"  What,  sire  !  "  said  Henry,  "  your  Majesty  will  do  me  the 
honor  ?  " 


THE  GRATITUDE   OF  KING   CHARLES  IX.       308 

"  Yes,  my  Majesty  will  do  you  the  honor  of  taking  you 
u  way  from  the  Louvre.  Lend  him  to  me,  Margot,  I  will  bring 
him  back  to  you  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Ah,  brother,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  do  not  need  my 
permission  for  that ;  you  are  master." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  I  will  get  another  cloak  from  my  room, 
and  will  return  immediately." 

"  You  do  not  need  it,  Henriot ;  the  cloak  you  have  is  all 
right." 

"  But,  sire,"  began  the  Bearnais. 

"  In  the  name  of  a  thousand  devils,  I  tell  you  not  to  go 
to  your  rooms  !  Do  you  not  hear  what  I  say  ?  Come  along ! " 

"  Yes,  yes,  go  !  "  said  Marguerite,  suddenly  pressing  her 
husband's  arm ;  for  a  singular  look  from  Charles  had  convinced 
her  that  something  unusual  was  going  on. 

"  Here  I  am,  sire,"  said  Henry. 

Charles  looked  at  Coconnas,  who  was  still  carrying  out  his 
office  of  torch-bearer  by  lighting  the  other  candles. 

"  Who  is  this  gentleman  ?  "  asked  the  King  of  Henry,  eye- 
ing the  Piedmontese  from  head  to  foot.  "  Is  he  Monsieur  de 
la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Who  has  told  him  of  La  Mole  ?  "  asked  Marguerite  in  a 
low  tone. 

"  No,  sire,"  replied  Henry,  "  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  not 
here,  I  regret  to  say.  Otherwise  I  should  have  the  honor  of 
presenting  him  to  your  Majesty  at  the  same  time  as  Monsieur 
de  Coconnas,  his  friend.  They  are  perfectly  inseparable,  and 
both  are  in  the  suite  of  Monsieur  d'Aleugon." 

"  Ah  !  ah !  our  famous  marksman  !  "  said  Charles.  "  Good  !  " 
Then  frowning : 

"  Is  not  this  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  a  Huguenot  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  He  is  converted,  sire,  and  I  will  answer  for  him  as  for  my- 
self." 

"  When  you  answer  for  any  one,  Henriot,  after  what  you 
did  to-day,  I  have  no  further  right  to  doubt  him.  But  I 
should  have  liked  to  see  this  Monsieur  de  la  Mole.  However, 
I  can  meet  him  another  time." 

Giving  a  last  glance  about  the  room,  Charles  embraced 
Marguerite,  took  hold  of  the  arm  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  and 
led  him  off. 

At  the  gate  of  the  Louvre  Henry  wanted  to  speak  to  some 
one. 


304  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Come,  come !  pass  out  quickly,  Henriot,"  said  Charles. 
"  When  I  tell  you  that  the  air  of  the  Louvre  is  not  good  for  you 
this  evening,  the  devil !  you  must  believe  me  !  " 

"  Venire  saint  gris  !  "  murmured  Henry  ;  "  and  what  will 
De  Mouy  do  all  alone  in  my  room  ?  I  trust  the  air  which  is 
not  good  for  me  may  be  no  worse  for  him !  " 

"  Ah  !  "  exclaimed  the  King,  when  Henry  and  he  had  crossed 
the  drawbridge,  "  does  it  suit  you,  Henry,  to  have  the  gentlemen 
of  Monsieur  d'Alengon  courting  your  wife  ?  " 

"  How  so,  sire  ?  " 

"  Truly,  is  not  this  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  making  eyes  at 
Margot  ?  " 

«  Who  told  you  that  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  King,  "  I  heard  it." 

"  A  mere  joke,  sire  ;  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  does  make  eyes 
at  some  one,  but  it  is  at  Madame  de  Nevers." 

"  Ah,  bah." 

"I  can  answer  to  your  Majesty  for  what  I  tell  you." 

Charles  burst  into  laughter. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  let  the  Due  de  Guise  come  to  me  again 
with  his  gossip,  and  I  will  gently  pull  his  mustache  by  telling 
him  of  the  exploits  of  his  sister-in-law.  But  after  all,"  said 
the  King,  thinking  better  of  it,  "  I  do  not  know  whether  it 
was  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  or  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  he  referred 
to." 

"Neither  the  one  more  than  the  other,  sire,  and  I  can 
answer  to  you  for  the  feelings  of  my  wife." 

"  Good,  Henriot,  good ! "  said  the  King.  "  I  like  you  better 
now  than  the  way  you  were  before.  On  my  honor,  you  are 
such  a  good  fellow  that  I  shall  end  by  being  unable  to  get 
along  without  you." 

As  he  spoke  the  King  gave  a  peculiar  whistle,  whereupon 
four  gentlemen  who  were  waiting  for  him  at  the  end  of  the  Rue 
de  Beauvais  joined  him.  The  whole  party  set  out  towards 
the  middle  of  the  city. 

Ten  o'clock  struck. 

"  Well ! "  said  Marguerite,  after  the  King  and  Henry  had 
left,  "  shall  we  go  back  to  table  ?  " 

"  Mercy,  no  !  "  cried  the  duchess,  "  I  have  been  too  badly 
frightened.  Long  live  the  little  house  in  the  Rue  Cloche 
Percee  !  No  one  can  enter  that  without  regularly  besieging 
it,  and  our  good  men  have  the  right  to  use  their  swords  there. 


THE   GRATITUDE   OF  KING   CHARLES  IX.       305 

BUG  what  are  you  looking  for  under  the  furniture  and  in  the 
closets,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  ?  " 

"  I  am  trying  to  find  my  friend  La  Mole,"  said  the  Pied- 
montese. 

"  Look  in  my  room,  monsieur,"  said  Marguerite,  "  there  is  a 
certain  closet  "  — 

"  Very  well,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  will  go  there." 

He  entered  the  room. 

"  Well ! "  said  a  voice  from  the  darkness ;  "  where  are 
we?" 

"  Oh  !  by  Heaven  !  we  have  reached  the  dessert." 

"  And  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  He  has  seen  nothing.  He  is  a  perfect  husband,  and  I 
wish  my  wife  had  one  like  him.  But  I  fear  she  never  will, 
even  if  she  marries  again." 

«  And  King  Charles  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  the  King.  That  is  another  thing.  He  has  taken 
off  the  husband." 

«  Really  ?  " 

"  It  is  as  I  tell  you.  Furthermore,  he  honored  me  by  look- 
ing askance  at  me  when  he  discovered  that  I  belonged  to 
Monsieur  d'Alenqon,  and  cross  when  he  found  out  that  I  was 
your  friend." 

"  You  think,  then,  that  he  has  heard  me  spoken  of  ?  " 

"  I  fear  that  he  has  heard  nothing  ver,y  good  of  you.  But 
that  is  not  the  point.  I  believe  these  ladies  have  a  pilgrimage 
to  make  to  the  Rue  de  Roi  de  Sicile,  and  that  we  are  to  take 
them  there." 

"  Why,  that  is  impossible  !     You  know  that  very  well." 

"  How  impossible  ?  " 

"  We  are  on  duty  at  his  royal  highness's." 

"  By  Heavens,  that  is  so ;  I  always  forget  that  we  are 
ranked,  and  that  from  the  gentlemen  we  once  were  we  have 
had  the  honor  to  pass  into  valets." 

Thereupon  the  two  friends  went  and  told  the  queen  and  the 
duchess  the  necessity  of  their  being  present  at  least  when  Mon- 
sieur le  Due  retired. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Madame  de  Nevers,  "  we  will  go  by  our- 
selves." 

"  Might  we  know  where  you  are  going  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  Oh  !  you  are  too  curious  !  "  said  the  duchess.  "  Quaere  et 
invenies." 


306  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

The  young  men  bowed  and  went  at  once  to  Monsieur 
d'Alenqon. 

The  duke  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  them  in  his  cabinet. 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  said  he,  "  you  are  very  late,  gentlemen." 

"  It  is  scarcely  ten  o'clock,  monseigneur,"  said  Coconnas. 

The  duke  drew  out  his  watch. 

"  That  is  true,"  said  he.  "  And  yet  every  one  has  gone  to 
sleep  in  the  Louvre." 

"  Yes,  monsieur,  but  we  are  here  at  your  orders.  Must  we 
admit  into  the  chamber  of  your  highness  the  gentlemen  who 
are  with  the  King  until  he  retires  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  go  into  the  small  reception-room  and  dis- 
miss every  one." 

The  young  men  obeyed,  carried  out  the  order,  which  sur- 
prised no  one,  because  of  the  well-known  character  of  the 
duke,  and  returned  to  him. 

"  Monseigneur,"  said  Coconnas,  "  your  highness  will  prob- 
ably either  go  to  bed  or  work,  will  you  not  ?  " 

"  No,  gentlemen ;  you  may  have  leave  of  absence  until  to- 
morrow." 

"  Well,  well,"  whispered  Coconnas  into  La  Mole's  ear,  "  the 
court  is  going  to  stay  up  all  night,  apparently.  It  will  be 
devilishly  pleasant.  Let  us  have  our  share  of  it." 

And  both  young  men  descended  the  stairs  four  steps  at  a 
time,  took  their  cloaks  and  their  night  swords,  and  hastily  left 
the  Louvre  after  the  two  ladies,  whom  they  overtook  at  the 
corner  of  the  Rue  du  Coq  Saint  Honore. 

Meanwhile  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  with  open  eyes  and  ears, 
locked  himself  in  his  room  to  await  the  unexpected  events 
he  had  been  promised. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

MAN    PROPOSES    BUT    GOD    DISPOSES. 

As  the  duke  had  said  to  the  young  men,  the  most  profound 
silence  reigned  in  the  Louvre. 

Marguerite  and  Madame  de  Nevers  had  departed  for  the 
Rue  Tizon.  Coconnas  and  La  Mole  had  followed  them.  The 
King  and  Henry  were  knocking  about  the  city.  The  Due 
d'Alenqon  was  in  his  room  vaguely  and  anxiously  waiting  for 


MAN    PROPOSES    BUT    GOD    DISPOSES.          307 

the  events  which  the  queen  mother  had  predicted.  Catharine 
had  gone  to  bed,  and  Madame  de  Sauve,  seated  by  her,  was 
reading  some  Italian  stories  which  greatly  amused  the  good 
queen.  Catharine  had  not  been  in  such  good  humor  for  a  long 
time.  Having  done  justice  to  a  collation  with  her  ladies  in 
waiting,  having  consulted  her  physician  and  arranged  the 
daily  accounts  of  her  household,  she  had  ordered  prayers  for 
the  success  of  a  certain  enterprise,  which  she  said  was  of  great 
importance  to  the  happiness  of  her  children.  Under  certain 
circumstances  it  was  Catharine's  habit  —  a  habit,  for  that  matter, 
wholly  Florentine  —  to  have  prayers  and  masses  read  the  object 
of  which  was  known  only  to  God  and  herself. 

Finally  she  had  seen  Rene,  and  had  chosen  several  novelties 
from  among  her  rich  collection  of  perfumed  bags. 

"  Let  me  know,"  said  Catharine,  "  if  my  daughter  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  is  in  her  rooms  ;  and  if  she  is  there,  beg  her  to 
come  to  me." 

The  page  to  whom  this  order  was  given  withdrew,  and  an 
instant  later  he  returned,  accompanied  by  Gillonue. 

"  Well ! "  said  the  queen  mother,  "  I  asked  for  the  mistress, 
not  the  servant." 

"  Madame,"  said  Gillonne,  "  I  thought  I  ought  to  come  my- 
self and  tell  your  majesty  that  the  Queen  of  Navarre  has  gone 
out  with  her  friend  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  "  — 

"  Gone  out  at  this  hour  !  "  exclaimed  Catharine,  frowning  ; 
"  where  can  she  have  gone  ?  " 

"  To  a  lecture  on  chemistry,"  replied  Gillonne,  "  which  is  to 
be  held  in  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  in  the  pavilion  occupied  by 
Madame  de  Nevers." 

"  When  will  she  return  ?  "  asked  the  queen  mother. 

"  The  lecture  will  last  until  late  into  the  night,"  replied 
Gillonne,  "  so  that  probably  her  majesty  will  stay  with  her 
friend  until  to-morrow  morning." 

"  The  Queen  of  Navarre  is  happy,"  murmured  Catharine ; 
"she  has  friends  and  she  is  queen  ;  she  wears  a  crown,  is 
called  your  majesty,  yet  has  no  subjects.  She  is  happy  indeed." 

After  this  remark,  which  made  her  listeners  smile  inwardly : 

"  Well,"  murmured  Catharine,  "  since  she  has  gone  out  — 
for  she  has  gone,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Half  an  hour  ago,  madame." 

"  Everything  is  for  the  best ;  you  may  go." 

Gillonne  bowed  and  left. 


308  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

11  Go  on  with  your  reading,  Charlotte,"  said  the  queen. 

Madame  de  Sauve  continued.  At  the  end  of  ten  minutes 
Catharine  interrupted  the  story. 

"  Ah,  by  the  way,"  said  she,  "  have  the  guards  dismissed 
from  the  corridor." 

This  was  the  signal  for  which  Maurevel  was  waiting.  The 
order  of  the  queen  mother  was  carried  out,  and  Madame  de 
Sauve  went  on  with  her  story.  She  had  read  for  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  without  any  interruption,  when  a  prolonged 
and  terrible  scream  reached  the  royal  chamber  and  made  the 
hair  of  those  present  stand  on  end. 

The  scream  was  followed  by  the  sound  of  a  pistol-shot. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  said  Catharine ;  "  why  do  you  stop  reading, 
Carlotta  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  said  the  young  woman,  turning  pale,  "  did  you 
not  hear  ?  " 

"What?"  asked  Catharine. 

"  That  cry." 

"  And  that  pistol-shot  ?  "  added  the  captain  of  the  guards. 

"A  cry,  a  pistol-shot?  "  asked  Catharine;  "I  heard  nothing. 
Besides,  is  a  shout  or  a  pistol-shot  such  a  very  unusual 
thing  at  the  Louvre  ?  Read,  read,  Carlotta." 

"  But  listen,  madame,"  said  the  latter,  while  Monsieur  de 
Nancey  stood  up,  his  hand  on  his  sword,  but  not  daring  to 
leave  without  permission  from  the  queen,  "  listen,  I  hear 
steps,  curses." 

"  Shall  I  go  and  find  out  about  it,  madame  ? "  said  De 
Kancey. 

"  Not  at  all,  monsieur,  stay  where  you  are,"  said  Catharine, 
raising  herself  on  one  hand  to  give  more  emphasis  to  her 
order.  "  Who,  then,  would  protect  me  in  case  of  an  alarm  ? 
It  is  only  some  drunken  Swiss  fighting." 

The  calmness  of  the  queen,  contrasted  with  the  terror  on  the 
faces  of  all  present,  was  so  remarkable  that,  timid  as  she  was, 
Madame  de  Sauve  fixed  a  questioning  glance  on  the  queen. 

"Why,  madame,  I  should  think  they  were  killing  some 
one." 

"  Whom  do  you  think  they  are  killing  ?  " 

"  The  King  of  Navarre,  madame ;  the  noise  comes  from  the 
direction  of  his  apartments." 

"  The  fool ! "  murmured  the  queen,  whose  lips  in  spite  of 
her  self-control  were  beginning  to  move  strangely,  for  she  was 


MAN   PROPOSES    BUT    GOD    DISPOSES.          309 

muttering  a  prayer ;  "  the  fool  sees  her  King  of  Navarre 
everywhere." 

"  My  God !  my  God !  "  cried  Madame  de  Sauve,  falling  back 
in  her  chair. 

"  It  is  over,  it  is  over,"  said  Catharine.  "  Captain,"  she  con- 
tinued, turning  to  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  "  I  hope  if  there  is  any 
scandal  in  the  palace  you  will  have  the  guilty  ones  severely 
punished  to-morrow.  Go  on  with  your  reading,  Carlotta." 
And  Catharine  sank  back  on  her  pillow  with  a  calmness  that 
greatly  resembled  weakness,  for  those  present  noticed  great 
drops  of  perspiration  rolling  down  her  face. 

Madame  de  Sauve  obeyed  this  formal  order,  but  her  eyes 
and  her  voice  were  mere  machines.  Her  thoughts  wandered 
to  other  things  which  represented  a  terrible  danger  hanging 
over  a  loved  head.  Finally,  after  struggling  on  for  several 
minutes,  she  became  so  oppressed  between  her  feelings  and  eti- 
quette that  her  words  became  unintelligible,  the  book  fell  from 
her  hands,  and  she  fainted. 

Suddenly  a  louder  noise  was  heard ;  a  quick,  heavy  step  fell 
on  the  corridor,  two  pistol-shots  shook  the  windows ;  and  Cath- 
arine, astonished  at  the  interminable  struggle,  rose  in  terror, 
erect,  pale,  with  dilating  eyes.  As  the  captain  of  the  guard 
was  about  to  hurry  out,  she  stopped  him,  saying : 

"  Let  every  one  remain  here.  I  myself  will  go  and  see  what 
is  the  matter." 

This  is  what  was  taking  place,  or  rather  what  had  taken 
place.  That  morning  De  Mouy  had  received  the  key  of  Henry's 
room  from  the  hands  of  Orthon.  In  this  key,  which  was 
piped,  he  had  noticed  a  roll  of  paper.  He  drew  it  out  with  a 
pin.  It  was  the  password  of  the  Louvre  for  that  night. 

Besides,  Orthon  had  verbally  transmitted  to  him  the  words 
of  Henry,  asking  De  Mouy  to  come  to  the  king  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  Louvre. 

At  half -past  nine  De  Mouy  put  on  a  suit  of  armor,  the 
strength  of  which  he  had  already  more  than  once  had  oc- 
casion to  test ;  over  this  he  buttoned  a  silk  doublet,  fastened 
on  his  sword,  put  his  pistols  in  his  belt,  and  over  everything 
threw  the  red  cloak  of  La  Mole. 

We  have  seen  how,  before  going  back  to  his  rooms,  Henry  had 
thought  best  to  pay  a  visit  to  Marguerite,  and  how  he  arrived 
by  the  secret  stairway  just  in  time  to  run  against  La  Mole  in 
Marguerite's  sleeping-room,  and  to  appear  in  the  dining-room 


310  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

before  the  King.  It  was  at  that  very  moment  when,  thanks  to 
the  password  sent  by  Henry,  and  above  all  to  the  famous  red 
cloak,  that  De  Mouy  passed  under  the  gate  of  the  Louvre. 

The  young  man  went  directly  to  the  apartments  of  the  King 
of  Navarre,  imitating  as  well  as  he  could,  as  was  his  habit, 
the  gait  of  La  Mole.  He  found  Orthon  waiting  for  him  in 
the  antechamber. 

"  Sire  de  Mouy,"  said  the  mountaineer,  "  the  king  has  gone 
out,  but  he  told  me  to  admit  you,  and  to  tell  you  to  wait  for 
him.  If  he  should  be  late  in  returning,  he  wants  you,  you 
know,  to  lie  down  on  his  bed." 

De  Mouy  entered  without  asking  for  further  explanation,  for 
what  Orthon  had  just  told  him  was  only  the  repetition  of  what 
he  had  already  heard  that  morning.  In  order  to  pass  away 
the  time  he  took  a  pen  and  ink  and,  approaching  a  fine 
map  of  France  which  hung  on  the  wall,  he  set  to  work  to  count 
and  determine  the  stopping-places  between  Paris  and  Pau. 
But  this  was  only  the  work  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then 
De  Mouy  did  not  know  what  to  do. 

He  made  two  or  three  rounds  of  the  room,  rubbed  his  eyes, 
yawned,  sat  down,  got  up,  and  sat  down  again.  Finally,  taking 
advantage  of  Henry's  invitation,  and  the  familiarity  which 
existed  between  princes  and  their  gentlemen,  he  placed  his 
pistols  and  the  lamp  on  a  table,  stretched  himself  out  on  the 
great  bed  with  the  sombre  hangings  which  furnished  the  rear 
of  the  room,  laid  his  sword  by  his  side,  and,  sure  of  not  being 
surprised  since  a  servant  was  in  the  adjoining  room,  he  fell 
into  a  pleasant  sleep,  the  noise  of  which  soon  made  the  vast 
canopy  ring  with  its  echoes.  De  Mouy  snored  like  a  regular 
old  soldier,  and  in  this  he  could  have  vied  with  the  King  of 
Navarre  himself. 

It  was  then  that  six  men,  their  swords  in  their  hands  and 
their  knives  at  their  belts,  glided  silently  into  the  corridor 
which  communicated  by  a  small  door  with  the  apartments  of 
Catharine  and  by  a  large  one  with  those  of  Henry. 

One  of  the  six  men  walked  ahead  of  the  others.  Besides 
his  bare  sword  and  his  dagger,  which  was  as  strong  as  a  hunting- 
knife,  he  carried  his  faithful  pistols  fastened  to  his  belt  by 
silver  hooks. 

This  man  was  Maurevel.  Having  reached  Henry's  door,  he 
stopped. 

"Are  you  perfectly  sure  that  the  sentinels  are  not  in  the 


MAN    PROPOSES    BUT    GOD    DISPOSES.          311 

corridor  ? "  he  asked  of  the  one  who  apparently  commanded 
the  little  band. 

"  Not  a  single  one  is  at  his  post,"  replied  the  lieutenant. 

"Very  good,"  said  Maurevel.  "Now  there  is  nothing 
further  except  to  find  out  one  thing  —  that  is,  if  the  man  we  are 
looking  for  is  in  his  room." 

"  But,"  said  the  lieutenant,  arresting  the  hand  which  Maure- 
vel had  laid  on  the  handle  of  the  door,  "  but,  captain,  these 
apartments  are  those  of  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  Who  said  they  were  not  ?  "  asked  Maurevel. 

The  guards  looked  at  one  another  in  amazement,  and  the 
lieutenant  stepped  back. 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  he,  "  arrest  some  one  at  this  hour,  in 
the  Louvre,  and  in  the  apartments  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  What  should  you  say,"  said  Maurevel,  "  were  I  to  tell  you 
that  the  one  you  are  about  to  arrest  is  the  King  of  Navarre 
himself  ?  " 

"  I  should  say,  captain,  that  it  is  serious  business  and  that 
without  an  order  signed  by  King  Charles  IX."  — 

"Read  this,"  said  Maurevel. 

And  drawing  from  his  doublet  the  order  which  Catharine 
had  given  him  he  handed  it  to  the  lieutenant. 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  latter  after  he  had  read  it.  "  I  have 
nothing  further  to  say." 

"  And  you  are  ready  ?  " 

"  I  am  ready." 

"  And  you  ?  "  continued  Maurevel,  turning  to  the  other  five 
sbirros. 

They  all  saluted  respectfully. 

"  Listen  to  me,  then,  gentlemen,"  said  Maurevel ;  "  this  is 
my  plan :  two  of  you  will  remain  at  this  door,  two  at  the  door 
of  the  sleeping-room,  and  two  will  go  with  me." 

"  Afterwards  ?  "  said  the  lieutenant. 

"  Pay  close  attention  to  this  :  we  are  ordered  to  prevent  the 
prisoner  from  calling  out,  shouting,  or  resisting.  Any  infrac- 
tion of  this  order  is  to  be  punished  by  death." 

"  Well,  well,  he  has  full  permission,"  said  the  lieutenant  to 
the  man  chosen  by  him  to  follow  Maurevel  into  the  king's 
room. 

"  Full,"  said  Maurevel. 

"  Poor  devil  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ! "  said  one  of  the  men. 
"  It  was  written  above  that  he  should  not  escape  this." 


312  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  And  here  too,"  said  Maurevel,  taking  Catharine's  order 
from  the  hands  of  the  lieutenant  and  returning  it  to  his  breast. 

Maurevel  inserted  the  key  Catharine  had  given  him  into  the 
lock,  and  leaving  two  men  at  the  outer  door,  as  had  been 
agreed  on,  he  entered  the  antechamber  with  the  four  others. 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  said  Maurevel,  hearing  the  noisy  breathing  of 
the  sleeper,  the  sound  of  which  reached  even  as  far  as  that,  "  it 
seems  that  we  shall  find  what  we  are  looking  for." 

Orthon,  thinking  it  was  his  master  returning,  at  once  started 
up  and  found  himself  face  to  face  with  five  armed  men  in  the 
first  chamber. 

At  sight  of  the  sinister  face  of  Maurevel,  who  was  called 
the  King's  Slayer,  the  faithful  servant  sprang  back,  and  placing 
himeslf  before  the  second  door : 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  said  he,  "  and  what  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  In  the  King's  name,"  replied  Maurevel,  "  where  is  your 
master  ?  " 

"  My  master  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  The  King  of  Navarre  is  not  in  his  room,"  said  Orthon, 
barring  the  door  more  than  ever,  "  so  you  cannot  enter." 

"  Excuses,  lies  !  "  said  Maurevel.    "  Come,  stand  back ! " 

The  Bearnais  people  are  stubborn ;  this  one  growled  like 
one  of  his  own  mountain  dogs,  and  far  from  being  intimidated : 

"  You  shall  not  enter,"  said  he ;  "  the  king  is  out." 

And  he  clung  to  the  door. 

Maurevel  made  a  sign.  The  four  men  seized  the  stubborn 
servant,  snatched  him  from  the  door-sill  to  which  he  was 
clinging,  and  as  he  started  to  open  his  mouth  and  cry  out, 
Maurevel  clapped  a  hand  to  his  lips. 

Orthon  bit  furiously  at  the  assassin,  who  dropped  his  hand 
with  a  dull  cry,  and  brought  down  the  handle  of  his  sword  on 
the  head  of  the  servant.  Orthon  staggered  and  fell  back,  shout- 
ing, "  Help  !  help !  help  !  " 

Then  his  voice  died  away.     He  had  fainted. 

The  assassins  stepped  over  his  body,  two  stopped  at  the 
second  door,  and  two  entered  the  sleeping-room  with  Maurevel. 

In  the  glow  of  the  lamp  burning  on  the  night  table  they 
saw  the  bed. 

The  curtains  were  drawn. 

"  Oh  !  oh ! "  said  the  lieutenant,  "  he  has  stopped  snoring, 
apparently." 


MAN   PROPOSES    BUT    GOD    DISPOSES.          313 

"  Be  quick  ! "  cried  Maurevel. 

At  this,  a  sharp  cry,  resembling  the  roar  of  a  lion  rather 
than  a  human  voice,  came  from  behind  the  curtains,  which  were 
violently  thrown  back,  and  a  man  appeared  sitting  there  armed 
with  a  cuirass,  his  head  covered  with  a  helmet  which  reached 
to  his  eyes.  Two  pistols  were  in  his  hand,  and  his  sword  lay 
across  his  knees. 

No  sooner  did  Maurevel  perceive  this  figure  and  recognize 
De  Mouy  than  he  felt  his  hair  rise  on  end ;  he  became  fright- 
fully pale,  foam  sprang  to  his  lips,  and  he  stepped  back  as  if 
he  had  come  face  to  face  with  a  ghost.  Suddenly  the  armed 
figure  rose  and  stepped  forward  as  Maurevel  drew  back,  so 
that  from  the  position  of  threatener,  the  latter  now  became 
the  one  threatened,  and  vice  versa. 

"  Ah,  scoundrel !  "  cried  De  Mouy,  in  a  dull  voice,  "  so  you 
have  come  to  murder  me  as  you  murdered  my  father ! " 

The  two  guards  who  had  entered  the  room  with  Maurevel 
alone  heard  these  terrible  words.  As  they  were  uttered  a 
pistol  was  placed  to  Maurevel's  forehead.  The  latter  sank  to 
his  knees  just  as  De  Mouy  put  his  hand  on  the  trigger;  the 
shot  was  fired  and  one  of  the  guards  who  stood  behind  him 
and  whom  he  had  unmasked  by  this  movement  dropped  to  the 
floor,  struck  to  the  heart.  At  the  same  instant  Maurevel  fired 
back,  but  the  ball  glanced  off  De  Mouy's  cuirass. 

Then,  measuring  the  distance,  De  Mouy  sprang  forward  and 
with  the  edge  of  his  broadsword  split  open  the  head  of  the 
second  guard,  and  turning  towards  Maurevel  crossed  swords 
with  him. 

The  struggle  was  brief  but  terrible.  At  the  fourth  pass 
Maurevel  felt  the  cold  steel  in  his  throat.  He  uttered  a  stifled 
cry  and  fell  backwards,  upsetting  the  lamp,  which  went  out  in 
the  fall. 

At  once  De  Mouy,  strong  and  agile  as  one  of  Homer's  heroes, 
took  advantage  of  the  darkness  and  sprang,  with  head  lowered, 
into  the  antechamber,  knocked  down  one  guard,  pushed  aside 
the  other,  and  shot  like  an  arrow  between  those  at  the  outer 
door.  He  escaped  two  pistol-shots,  the  balls  of  which  grazed 
the  wall  of  the  corridor,  and  from  that  moment  was  safe,  for 
one  loaded  pistol  still  was  lefjb  him,  besides  the  sword  which 
had  dealt  such  terrible  blows. 

For  an  instant  he  hesitated,  undecided  whether  to  go  to 
Monsieur  d'Alenqon's,  the  door  of  whose  room  he  thought  had 


314  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

just  opened,  or  to  try  and  escape  from  the  Louvre.  He  de- 
termined on  the  latter  course,  continued  on  his  way,  slow  at 
first,  jumped  ten  steps  at  a  time,  and  reaching  the  gate  uttered 
the  two  passwords  and  rushed  on,  shouting  out : 

"  Go  upstairs ;  there  is  murder  going  on  by  order  of  the 
King." 

Taking  advantage  of  the  amazement  produced  on  the  senti- 
nel by  his  words  and  the  sound  of  the  pistol-shots,  he  ran  on 
and  disappeared  in  the  Rue  du  Coq  without  having  received  a 
scratch. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  Catharine  stopped  the  captain 
of  the  guards,  saying  : 

"  Stay  here  ;  I  myself  will  go  and  see  what  is  the  matter." 

"  But,  madame,"  replied  the  captain,  "  the  danger  your 
majesty  runs  compels  me  to  follow  you." 

"  Stay  here,  monsieur,"  said  Catharine,  in  a  still  more  impe- 
rious tone,  "  stay  here.  There  is  a  more  powerful  protection 
around  kings  than  the  human  sword." 

The  captain  remained  where  he  was. 

Taking  a  lamp,  Catharine  slipped  her  bare  feet  into  a  pair  of 
velvet  slippers,  left  her  room,  and  reaching  the  corridor,  still 
full  of  smoke,  advanced  as  impassible  and  as  cold  as  a  shadow 
towards  the  apartments  of  the  King  of  Navarre. 

Silence  reigned  supreme. 

Catharine  reached  the  door,  crossed  the  threshold,  and  first 
saw  Orthon,  who  had  fainted  in  the  antechamber. 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  said  she,  "  here  is  the  servant ;  further  on  we 
shall  probably  find  the  master."  She  entered  the  second  door. 

Then  her  foot  ran  against  a  corpse  ;  she  lowered  her  lamp  ; 
it  was  the  guard  who  had  had  his  head  split  open.  He  was 
quite  dead. 

A  few  feet  further  on  the  lieutenant,  who  had  been  struck  by 
a  bullet,  was  drawing  his  last  breath. 

Finally,  before  the  bed  lay  a  man  whose  face  was  as  pale  as 
death  and  who  was  bleeding  from  a  double  wound  in  his  throat. 
He  was  clinching  his  hands  convulsively  in  his  efforts  to  rise. 

It  was  Maurevel. 

Catharine  shuddered.  She  saw  the  empty  bed,  she  looked 
around  the  room  seeking  in  vain  for  the  body  she  hoped  to 
find  among  the  three  corpses. 

Maurevel  recognized  Catharine.  His  eyes  were  horribly 
dilated  and  he  made  a  despairing  gesture  towards  her. 


MAN   PROPOSES    BUT    GOD    DISPOSES.          315 

"  Well,"  said  she  in  a  whisper,  "  where  is  he  ?  what  has 
happened  ?  Unfortunate  man  !  have  you  let  him  escape  ?  " 

Maurevel  strove  to  speak,  but  an  unintelligible  sound  came 
from  his  throat,  a  bloody  foam  covered  his  lips,  and  he  shook 
his  head  in  sign  of  inability  and  pain. 

"  Speak  !  "  cried  Catharine,  "  speak  !  if  only  one  word !  " 

Maurevel  pointed  to  his  wound,  again  made  several  inarticu- 
late gasps,  which  ended  in  a  hoarse  rattle,  and  fainted. 

Catharine  looked  around  her.  She  was  surrounded  by  the 
bodies  of  dead  and  dying ;  blood  flowed  in  every  direction,  and 
the  silence  of  death  hovered  over  everything. 

Once  again  she  spoke  to  Maurevel,  but  failed  to  rouse  him ; 
he  was  not  only  silent  but  motionless  ;  a  paper  was  in  his 
doublet.  It  was  the  order  of  arrest  signed  by  the  King. 
Catharine  seized  it  and  hid  it  in  her  breast.  Just  then  she 
heard  a  light  step  behind  her,  and  turning,  she  saw  the  Due 
d'AlenQon  at  the  door.  In  spite  of  himself  he  had  been  drawn 
thither  by  the  noise,  and  the  sight  before  him  fascinated  him. 

"  You  here  ?  "  said  she. 

"  Yes,  madame.    For  God's  sake  what  has  happened  ?  " 

"  Go  back  to  your  room,  Franqois ;  you  will  know  soon 
enough." 

D'Alenqon  was  not  as  ignorant  of  the  affair  as  Catharine 
supposed. 

At  the  sound  of  the  first  steps  in  the  corridor  he  had 
listened.  Seeing  some  men  enter  the  apartments  of  the  King 
of  Navarre,  and  by  connecting  this  with  some  words  Catharine 
had  uttered,  he  had  guessed  what  was  about  to  take  place,  and 
was  rejoiced  at  having  so  dangerous  an  enemy  destroyed  by  a 
hand  stronger  than  his  own.  Before  long  the  noises  of  pistol- 
shots  and  the  rapid  steps  of  a  man  running  had  attracted  his 
attention,  and  he  had  seen  disappearing  in  the  light  space 
caused  by  the  opening  of  the  door  leading  to  the  stairway  the 
red  cloak  too  well  known  not  to  be  recognized. 

"  De  Mouy  !  "  he  cried,  "  De  Mouy  in  the  apartments  of  the 
King  of  Navarre !  Why,  that  is  impossible  !  Can  it  be  Mon- 
sieur de  la  Mole  ?  " 

He  grew  alarmed.  Remembering  that  the  young  man  had  been 
recommended  to  him  by  Marguerite  herself,  and  wishing  to 
make  sure  that  it  was  he  whom  he  had  just  seen,  he  ascended 
hurriedly  to  the  chamber  of  the  two  young  men.  It  was 
vacant.  But  in  a  corner  he  found  the  famous  red  cloak  hanging 


316  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

against  the  wall.  His  suspicions  were  confirmed.  It  was 
not  La  Mole,  but  De  Mouy.  Pale  and  trembling  lest  the 
Huguenot  should  be  discovered,  and  would  betray  the  secrets 
of  the  conspiracy,  he  rushed  to  the  gate  of  the  Louvre.  There 
he  was  told  that  the  red  cloak  had  escaped  safe  and  sound, 
shouting  out  as  he  passed  that  some  one  was  being  murdered  in 
the  Louvre  by  order  of  the  King. 

"  He  is  mistaken,"  murmured  D'Alenqon  ;  "  it  is  by  order  of 
the  queen  mother." 

Returning  to  the  scene  of  combat,  he  found  Catharine  wan- 
dering like  a  hyena  among  the  dead. 

At  the  order  from  his  mother  the  young  man  returned  to 
his  rooms,  affecting  calmness  and  obedience,  in  spite  of  the 
tumultuous  thoughts  which  were  passing  through  h  is  mind. 

In  despair  at  the  failure  of  this  new  attempt'  Catharine 
called  the  captain  of  the  guards,  had  the  bodies  removed,  gave 
orders  that  Maurevel,  who  was  only  wounded,  be  carried  to  his 
home,  and  told  them  not  to  waken  the  King. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  murmured,  as  she  returned  to  her  rooms,  her 
head  sunk  on  her  bosom,  "he  has  again  escaped.  The  hand 
of  God  is  over  this  man.  He  will  reign  !  he  will  reign  !  " 

Entering  her  room,  she  passed  her  hand  across  her  brow, 
and  assumed  an  ordinary  smile. 

"  What  was  the  matter,  madame  ?  "  asked  every  one  except 
Madame  de  Sauve,  who  was  too  frightened  to  ask  any  questions. 

"  Nothing,"  replied  Catharine  ;  "  a  noise,  that  was  all." 

"  Oh  ! "  cried  Madame  de  Sauve,  suddenly  pointing  to  the 
floor,  "  your  majesty  says  there  is  nothing  the  matter,  and 
every  one  of  your  majesty's  steps  leaves  a  trace  of  blood  on  the 
carpet !  " 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

A    NIGHT    OF    KINGS. 

CHARLES  IX.  walked  along  with  Henry  leaning  on  his  arm, 
followed  by  his  four  gentlemen  and  preceded  by  two  torch- 
bearers. 

"  When  I  leave  the  Louvre,"  said  the  poor  King,  "  I  feel  a 
pleasure  similar  to  that  which  comes  to  me  when  I  enter  a 
beautiful  forest.  I  breathe,  I  live,  I  am  free." 


A    NIGHT    OF   KINGS.  317 

Henry  smiled. 

"  lu  that  case,"  said  he,  "  your  Majesty  would  be  in  your 
element  among  the  mountains  of  the  Beam." 

"  Yes,  and  I  understand  that  you  want  to  go  back  to  them  ; 
but  if  you  are  very  anxious  to  do  so,  Henriot,"  added  Charles, 
laughing,  "  my  advice  is  to  be  careful,  for  my  mother  Catha- 
rine loves  you  so  dearly  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  for 
her  to  get  along  without  you." 

"  What  does  your  Majesty  plan  to  do  this  evening  ? " 
asked  Henry,  changing  this  dangerous  conversation. 

"  I  want  to  have  you  meet  some  one,  Henriot,  and  you  shall 
give  me  your  opinion." 

"  I  am  at  your  Majesty's  orders." 

"  To  the  right !  to  the  right !  We  will  take  the  Rue  des 
Barres." 

The  two  kings,  followed  by  their  escort,  had  passed  the 
Rue  de  la  Savonnerie,  when  in  front  of  the  Hotel  de  Conde 
they  saw  two  men,  wrapped  in  large  cloaks,  coming  out  of  a 
secret  door  which  one  of  them  noiselessly  closed  behind  him. 

"  Oh  !  oh ! "  said  the  King  to  Henry,  who  as  usual  had  seen 
everything,  but  had  not  spoken,  "  this  deserves  attention." 

"  Why  do  you  say  that,  sire  ?  "  asked  the  King  of  Navarre. 

"It  is  not  on  your  account,  Henriot.  You  are  sure  of 
your  wife,"  added  Charles  with  a  smile ;  "  but  your  cousin  De 
Conde  is  not  sure  of  his,  or  if  so,  he  is  making  a  mistake,  the 
devil !  " 

"  But  how  do  you  know,  sire,  that  it  is  Madame  de  Conde 
whom  these  gentlemen  have  been  visiting  ?  " 

"  Instinct  tells  me.  The  fact  that  the  men  stood  in  the 
doorway  without  moving  until  they  saw  us ;  then  the  cut  of 
the  shorter  one's  cloak  —  by  Heaven  !  that  would  be  strange  !  " 

«  What  ?  " 

"  Nothing.     An  idea  I  had,  that  is  all ;  let  us  go  on." 

He  walked  up  to  the  two  men,  who,  seeing  him,  started  to 
walk  away. 

"  Hello,  gentlemen  !  "  cried  the  King ;   "  stop  !  " 

"  Are  you  speaking  to  us  ?  "  asked  a  voice  which  made 
Charles  and  his  companion  tremble. 

"  Well,  Henriot,"  said  Charles,  "  do  you  recognize  the 
voice  now  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  if  your  brother  the  Due  d'Anjou  was 
not  at  La  Rochelle,  I  would  swear  it  was  he  speaking." 


318  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Well,"  said  Charles,  "  he  is  not  at  La  Rochelle,  that  is 
all." 

"  But  who  is  with  him  ?  " 

"  Do  you  not  recognize  his  companion  ?  " 

"No,  sire." 

"  Yet  his  figure  is  unmistakable.  Wait,  you  shall  see  who 
he  is  —  hello,  there  !  I  tell  you,"  cried  the  King,  "  do  you 
not  hear,  by  Heaven  ?  " 

"  Are  you  the  watch,  that  you  order  us  to  stop  ?  "  said  the 
taller  of  the  two  men,  freeing  his  arm  from  the  folds  of  his 
cloak. 

"  Pretend  that  we  are  the  watch,"  said  the  King,  "  and  stop 
when  we  tell  you  to  do  so." 

Leaning  over  to  Henry's  ear,  he  added : 

"Now  you  will  see  the  volcano  send  forth  its  fire." 

"  There  are  eight  of  you,"  said  the  taller  of  the  two  men, 
this  time  showing  not  only  his  arm  but  his  face,  "  but  were  you 
a  hundred,  pass  on  !  " 

"  Ah !  ah !  the  Due  de  Guise  !  "  said  Henry. 

"  Ah  !  our  cousin  from  Lorraine,"  said  the  King ;  "  at  last 
you  will  meet !  How  fortunate  ! " 

"  The  King  !  "  cried  the  duke. 

At  these  words  the  other  man  covered  himself  with  his 
cloak  and  stood  motionless,  having  first  uncovered  out  of 
respect. 

"  Sire,"  said  the  Due  de  Guise,  "  I  have  just  been  paying  a 
visit  to  my  sister-in-law,  Madame  de  Conde." 

"  Yes  —  and  you  brought  one  of  your  gentlemen  with  you  ? 
Which  one  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  replied  the  duke, "  your  Majesty  does  not  know  him." 

"  We  will  meet  him,  however,"  said  the  King. 

Walking  up  to  the  other  figure,  he  signed  to  one  of  the 
lackeys  to  bring  a  torch. 

"  Pardon  me,  brother  !  "  said  the  Due  d' Anjou,  opening  his 
cloak  and  bowing  with  poorly  disguised  anger. 

"Ah!  ah  !  Henry,  is  it  you  ?  But  no,  it  is  not  possible,  I 
am  mistaken  —  my  brother  of  Anjou  would  not  have  gone  to 
see  any  one  else  before  first  calling  on  me.  He  knows  that  for 
royal  princes,  returning  to  the  capital,  Paris  has  but  one 
entrance,  the  gate  of  the  Louvre." 

"  Pardon  me,  sire,"  said  the  Due  d' Anjou ;  "  I  beg  your 
Majesty  to  excuse  my  thoughtlessness." 


A    NIGHT    OF   KINGS.  319 

"  Ah,  yes  !"  replied  the  King,  mockingly  ;  "  and  what  were 
you  doing,  brother,  at  the  Hotel  de  Conde  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  the  King  of  Navarre  in  his  sly  way,  "  what  your 
Majesty  intimated  just  now." 

And  leaning  over  to  the  King  he  ended  his  sentence  in  a 
burst  of  laughter. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  the  Due  de  Guise,  haughtily  ;  for 
like  every  one  else  at  court,  he  had  a  way  of  treating  the  poor 
King  of  Navarre  very  rudely,  "  why  should  I  not  go  and  see 
my  sister-in-law.  Does  not  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alencon  visit 
his  ?  " 

Henry  flushed  slightly. 

"  What  sister-in-law  ? "  asked  Charles.  "  I  know  none 
except  Queen  Elizabeth." 

"  Pardon,  sire !  it  was  your  sister  I  should  have  said  — 
Madame  Marguerite,  whom  we  saw  pass  in  her  litter  as  we 
came  by  here  half  an  hour  ago.  She  was  accompanied  by  two 
courtiers  who  rode  on  either  side  of  her." 

"  Indeed  ! "  said  Charles.  "  What  do  you  say  to  that, 
Henry  ?  " 

"  That  the  Queen  of  Navarre  is  perfectly  free  to  go  where 
she  p] eases,  but  I  doubt  if  she  has  left  the  Louvre." 

"  Well,  I  am  sure  she  did,"  said  the  Due  de  Guise. 

"And  I  too,"  said  the  Due  d'Anjou,  "from  the  fact  that 
the  litter  stopped  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee." 

"  Your  sister-in-law,  not  this  one,"  said  Henry,  pointing  to 
the  Hotel  de  Conde,  "  but  that  one,"  turning  in  the  direction 
of  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  "  must  also  be  of  the  party,  for  we  left 
them  together,  and,  as  you  know,  they  are  inseparable." 

"  I  do  not  know  what  your  majesty  means,"  replied  the  Due 
de  Guise. 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  the  king,  "  nothing  is  simpler. 
That  is  why  a  courtier  was  riding  at  either  side  of  the  litter." 

"  Well !"  said  the  duke,  "if  there  is  any  scandal  concerning 
my  sisters-in-law,  let  us  beg  the  King  to  withhold  justice." 

"Well,  by  Heaven,"  said  Henry,  "  let  us  leave  Madame  de 
Conde  and  Madame  de  Nevers ;  the  King  is  not  anxious  about 
his  sister  —  and  I  have  confidence  in  my  wife." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Charles,  "  I  want  to  make  sure  of  it ;  but  let 
us  attend  to  the  matter  ourselves.  The  litter  stopped  in  the 
Rue  Cloche  Percee,  you  say,  cousin  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire." 


320  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

"  Do  you  know  the  house  ?  " 

"Yes,  sire." 

"  Well,  let  us  go  to  it.  And  if  in  order  to  find  out  who  is 
in  it,  it  is  necessary  to  burn  it  down,  we  will  burn  it." 

It  was  with  this  end  in  view,  which  was  rather  discouraging 
for  the  tranquillity  of  those  concerned,  that  the  four  chief  lords 
of  the  Christian  world  set  out  to  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine. 

They  reached  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee.  Charles,  who  wished 
to  work  privately,  dismissed  the  gentlemen  of  his  suite,  saying 
that  they  might  have  the  rest  of  the  night  to  themselves,  but 
for  them  to  be  at  the  Bastille  with  two  horses  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning. 

There  were  only  three  houses  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee. 
The  search  was  much  less  difficult  as  two  of  the  buildings 
were  perfectly  willing  to  open  their  doors.  One  of  the  houses 
faced  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine  and  the  other  the  Rue  du  Roi  de 
Sicile. 

As  to  the  third  house,  that  was  a  different  matter.  It  was 
the  one  which  was  guarded  by  the  German  janitor,  and  this 
janitor  was  not  easily  managed.  That  night  Paris  seemed  des- 
tined to  offer  memorable  examples  of  conjugal  fidelity.  In 
vain  did  Monsieur  de  Guise  threaten  in  his  purest  Saxon ;  in 
vain  did  Henry  of  Anjou  offer  a  purse  filled  with  gold  ;  in  vain 
Charles  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  he  was  lieutenant  of  the  watch ; 
the  brave  German  paid  attention  neither  to  the  statement,  the 
offer,  nor  the  threats.  Seeing  that  they  insisted,  and  in  a  way 
that  was  becoming  importunate,  he  slipped  the  nose  of  a  gun 
under  the  iron  bars,  a  move  which  brought  forth  bursts  of 
laughter  from  three  of  the  four  visitors.  Henry  of  Navarre 
stood  apart,  as  if  the  affair  had  no  interest  for  him.  But  as 
the  weapon  could  not  be  turned  between  the  bars,  it  was 
scarcely  dangerous  for  any  except  a  blind  man,  who  might 
stand  directly  in  front  of  it. 

Seeing  that  the  porter  was  neither  to  be  intimidated,  bribed, 
nor  persuaded,  the  Due  de  Guise  pretended  to  leave  with  his 
companions  ;  but  the  retreat  did  not  last  long.  At  the  corner 
of  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine  the  duke  found  what  he  sought. 
This  was  a  rock  similar  in  size  to  those  which  three  thousand 
years  before  had  been  moved  by  Ajax,  son  of  Telamon,  and 
Diomed.  The  duke  raised  it  to  his  shoulder  and  came  back, 
signing  to  his  companions  to  follow.  Just  then  the  janitor, 
who  had  seen  those  he  took  for  malefactors  depart,  closed  the 


A     NIGHT    OF  KINGS.  321 

door.  But  he  had  not  time  to  draw  the  bolts  before  the  Due 
de  Guise  took  advantage  of  the  moment,  and  hurled  his  veri- 
table living  catapult  against  the  door.  The  lock  broke,  carry- 
ing away  a  portion  of  the  wall  to  which  it  had  been  fastened. 
The  door  sprang  open,  knocking  down  the  German,  who,  in 
falling,  gave  a  terrible  cry.  This  cry  awakened  the  garrison, 
which  otherwise  would  have  run  great  risk  of  being  surprised. 

At  that  moment  La  Mole  and  Marguerite  were  translating  an 
idyl  of  Theocritus,  and  Coconnas,  pretending  that  he  too  was 
a  Greek,  was  drinking  some  strong  wine  from  Syracuse  with 
Henriette.  The  scientific  and  bacchanalian  conversation  was 
violently  interrupted. 

La  Mole  and  Coconnas  at  once  extinguished  the  candles,  and 
opening  the  windows,  sprang  out  on  the  balcony.  Then  per- 
ceiving four  men  in  the  darkness,  they  set  to  work  to  hurl  at 
them  everything  they  had  at  hand,  in  the  meantime  making  a 
frightful  noise  with  blows  from  the  flat  of  their  swords,  which, 
however,  struck  nothing  but  the  wall.  Charles,  the  most  infu- 
riated of  the  besiegers,  received  a  sharp  blow  on  the  shoulder, 
the  Due  d'Anjou  a  bowl  full  of  orange  and  lemon  marmalade, 
and  the  Due  de  Guise  a  leg  of  venison.  Henry  received  noth- 
ing. He  was  downstairs  questioning  the  porter,  whom  Mon- 
sieur de  Guise  had  strapped  to  the  door,  and  who  continued  to 
answer  by  his  eternal  "  Ich  verstehe  nicht."  The  women  en- 
couraged the  besieged  by  handing  them  projectiles,  which  suc- 
ceeded one  another  like  hailstones. 

"  The  devil !  "  exclaimed  Charles  IX.,  as  a  table  struck  his 
head,  driving  his  hat  over  his  eyes,  "  if  they  don't  open  the 
door  pretty  soon  I  will  have  them  all  hanged." 

"My  brother  ! "  whispered  Marguerite  to  La  Mole. 

"  The  King  !  "  cried  the  latter  to  Henriette. 

"  The  King  !  the  King ! "  repeated  Henriette  to  Coconnas, 
who  was  dragging  a  chest  to  the  window,  and  who  was  trying 
to  exterminate  the  Due  de  Guise.  Without  knowing  who  the 
latter  was  he  was  having  a  private  struggle  with  him. 

"  The  King,  I  tell  you,"  repeated  Henriette. 

Coconnas  let  go  of  the  chest  and  looked  up  in  amazement. 

"  The  King  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,  the  King." 

"  Then  let  us  hide." 

"  Yes.    La  Mole  and  Marguerite  have  already  fled.    Come !  " 

"  Where  ?  " 


322  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Come,  I  tell  you." 

And  seizing  him  by  the  hand,  Henriette  pushed  Coconnas 
through  the  secret  door  which  connected  with  the  adjoining 
house,  and  all  four,  having  locked  this  door  behind  them,  es- 
caped into  the  Kue  Tizon. 

"  Oh !  oh !  "  said  Charles,  "  I  think  that  the  garrison  has 
surrendered." 

They  waited  a  few  minutes.     No  sound  reached  the  besiegers. 

"  They  are  preparing  some  ruse,"  said  the  Due  de  Guise. 

"  It  is  more  likely  that  they  have  recognized  my  brother's 
voice  and  have  fled,"  said  the  Due  d'Anjou. 

"  They  would  have  to  pass  by  here,"  said  Charles. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Due  d'Anjou,  "  unless  the  house  has  two 
exits." 

"  Cousin,"  said  the  King,  "  take  up  your  stone  again  and 
hurl  it  against  the  other  door  as  you  did  at  this." 

The  duke  thought  it  unnecessary  to  resort  to  such  means, 
and  as  he  had  noticed  that  the  second  door  was  not  as  solid  as 
the  first  he  broke  it  down  by  a  simple  kick. 

"  The  torches  !  the  torches  ! "  cried  the  King. 

The  lackeys  approached.  The  torches  were  out,  but  the 
men  had  everything  necessary  for  relighting  them.  This  was 
done.  Charles  IX.  took  one  and  handed  the  other  to  the  Due 
d'Anjou. 

The  Due  de  Guise  entered  first,  sword  in  hand. 

Henry  brought  up  the  rear. 

They  reached  the  first  floor. 

.  In  the  dining-room  the  table  was  set  or  rather  upset,  for  it 
was  the  supper  which  had  furnished  the  projectiles.  The 
candlesticks  were  overturned,  the  furniture  topsy-turvy,  and 
everything  which  was  not  silver  plate  lay  in  fragments. 

They  entered  the  reception-room,  but  found  no  more  clue 
there  than  in  the  other  room  as  to  the  identity  of  the  revellers. 
Some  Greek  and  Latin  books  and  several  musical  instruments 
were  all  they  saw. 

The  sleeping-room  was  more  silent  still.  A  night  lamp 
burned  in  an  alabaster  globe  suspended  from  the  ceiling;  but 
it  was  evident  that  the  room  had  not  been  occupied. 

"  There  is  a  second  door,"  said  the  King. 

"  Very  likely,"  said  the  Due  d'Anjou. 

"  But  where  is  it  ?  "  asked  the  Due  de  Guise. 

They  looked  everywhere,  but  could  not  find  it. 


A    NIGHT    OF   KINGS. 

"  Where  is  the  janitor  ?  "  asked  the  King. 

"  I  bound  him  to  the  gate/'  said  the  Due  de  Guise. 

"  Ask  him,  cousin." 

"  He  will  not  answer." 

"  Bah !  we  will  have  a  dry  fire  built  around  his  legs,"  said 
the  King,  laughing,  "then  he  will  speak." 

Henry  glanced  hurriedly  out  of  the  window. 

"  He  is  not  there,"  said  he. 

"  Who  untied  him  ?  "  asked  the  Due  de  Guise,  quickly. 

"  The  devil !  "  exclaimed  the  King,  "  and  we  know  nothing 
as  yet." 

"Well !  "  said  Henry,  "you  see  very  clearly,  sire,  that  there 
is  nothing  to  prove  that  my  wife  and  Monsieur  de  Guise's 
sister-in-law  have  been  in  this  house." 

"  That  is  so,"  said  Charles.  "  The  Scriptures  tell  us  that 
there  are  three  things  which  leave  no  trace  —  the  bird  in  the 
air,  the  fish  in  the  sea,  and  the  woman  —  no,  I  am  wrong,  the 
man,  in  " — 

"  So,"  interrupted  Henry,  "  what  we  had  better  do  is  "  — 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  "  what  we  had  better  do  is  for  me  to 
look  after  my  bruise,  for  you,  D'Anjou,  to  wipe  off  your  orange 
marmalade,  and  for  you,  De  Guise,  to  get  rid  of  the  grease." 
Thereupon  they  left  without  even  troubling  to  close  the  door. 
Reaching  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine  : 

"  Where  are  you  bound  for,  gentlemen  ?  "  asked  the  King 
of  the  Due  d'Anjou  and  the  Due  de  Guise. 

"  Sire,  we  are  going  to  the  house  of  Nantouillet,  who  is  ex- 
pecting my  Lorraine  cousin  and  myself  to  supper.  Will  your 
Majesty  come  with  us  ?  " 

"  No,  thanks,  we  are  going  in  a  different  direction.  Will  you 
take  one  of  my  torch-bearers  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  no,  sire,"  said  the  Due  d'Anjou,  hastily. 

"  Good  ;  he  is  afraid  I  will  spy  on  him,"  whispered  Charles 
to  the  King  of  Navarre. 

Then  taking  the  latter  by  the  arm : 

"  Come,  Henriot,"  said  he,  "  I  will  take  you  to  supper  to- 
night." 

"  Are  we  not  going  back  to  the  Louvre  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  No,  I  tell  you,  you  stupid  !  Come  with  me,  since  I  tell  you 
to  come.  Come  ! " 

And  he  dragged  Henry  down  the  Rue  Geoffrey  Lasnier. 


324  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

THE    ANAGRAM. 

THE  Rue  Gamier  sur  1'Eau  runs  into  the  Rue  Geoffrey 
Lasnier,  and  the  Rue  des  Barres  lies  at  right  angles  to  the 
former. 

On  the  right,  a  short  distance  down  the  Rue  de  la  Mortel- 
lerie,  stands  a  small  house  in  the  centre  of  a  garden  surrounded 
by  a  high  wall,  which  has  but  one  entrance.  Charles  drew  a 
key  from  his  pocket  and  inserted  it  into  the  lock.  The  gate 
was  unbolted  and  immediately  opened.  Telling  Henry  and  the 
lackey  bearing  the  torch  to  enter,  the  King  closed  and  locked 
the  gate  behind  him. 

Light  came  from  one  small  window  which  Charles  smilingly 
pointed  out  to  Henry. 

"  Sire,  I  do  not  understand,"  said  the  latter. 

"  But  you  will,  Henriot." 

The  King  of  Navarre  looked  at  Charles  in  amazement. 
His  voice  and  his  face  had  assumed  an  expression  of  gentle- 
ness so  different  from  usual  that  Henry  scarcely  recognized 
him. 

"  Henriot,"  said  the  King,  "  I  told  you  that  when  I  left  the 
Louvre  I  came  out  of  hell.  When  I  enter  here  I  am  in 
paradise." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  I  am  happy  that  your  Majesty  has 
thought  me  worthy  of  taking  this  trip  to  Heaven  with  you." 

"  The  road  thither  is  a  narrow  one,"  said  the  King,  turning 
to  a  small  stairway,  "  but  nothing  can  be  compared  to  it." 

^  Who  is  the  angel  who  guards  the  entrance  to  your  Eden, 
sire  ?  " 

"  You  shall  see,"  replied  Charles  IX. 

Signing  to  Henry  to  follow  him  noiselessly,  he  opened  first 
one  door,  then  another,  and  finally  paused  on  a  threshold. 

"  Look  ! "  said  he. 

Henry  approached  and  gazed  on  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
pictures  he  had  ever  seen. 

A  young  woman  of  eighteen  or  nineteen  lay  sleeping,  her 
head  resting  on  the  foot  of  a  little  bed  in  which  a  child  was 
asleep.  The  woman  held  its  little  feet  close  to  her  lips,  while 
her  long  hair  fell  over  her  shoulders  like  a  flood  of  gold.  It 


MARIE    UTTERED    A   CRY    AND    FELL    ON    HER    KNEES 


THE    ANAGRAM.  325 

was  like  one  of  Albane's  pictures  of  the  Virgin  and  the  Child 
Jesus. 

"  Oh,  sire/'  said  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  who  is  this  lovely 
creature  ?  " 

"  The  angel  of  my  paradise,  Henriot,  the  only  one  who  loves 
me." 

Henry  smiled. 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  "  for  she  loved  me  before  she  knew  I 
was  King." 

"  And  since  she  has  known  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  since  she  has  known  it,"  said  Charles,  with  a  smile 
which  showed  that  royalty  sometimes  weighed  heavily  on 
him,  "  since  she  has  known  it  she  loves  me  still ;  so  you  may 
judge." 

The  King  approached  the  woman  softly  and  pressed  a 
kiss  as  light  as  that  which  a  bee  gives  to  a  lily  on  her  rosy 
cheek. 

Yet,  light  as  it  was,  she  awakened  at  once. 

"  Charles  !  "  she  murmured,  opening  her  eyes. 

"  You  see,"  said  the  King,  "  she  calls  me  Charles.  The 
queen  says  '  sire  '  !  " 

"  Oh ! "  cried  the  young  woman,  "  you  are  not  alone,  my 
King." 

"  No,  my  sweet  Marie,  I  wanted  to  bring  you  another  king, 
happier  than  myself  because  he  has  no  crown;  more  unhappy 
than  I  because  he  has  no  Marie  Touchet.  God  makes  com- 
pensation for  everything." 

"  Sire,  is  it  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  "  asked  Marie. 

"  Yes,  my  child;  come  here,  Henriot."  The  King  of  Navarre 
drew  near ;  Charles  took  him  by  the  hand. 

"  See  this  hand,  Marie,"  said  he,  "  it  is  the  hand  of  a  good 
brother  and  a  loyal  friend.  Were  it  not  for  this  hand  " — 

"  Well,  sire  ?  " 

"Well,  had  it  not  been  for  this  hand  to-day,  Marie,  our 
child  would  have  no  father." 

Marie  uttered  a  cry,  fell, on  her  knees,  and  seizing  Henry's 
hand  covered  it  with  kisses. 

"  Very  good,  Marie,  very  good,"  said  Charles. 

"  What  have  you  done  to  thank  him,  sire  ?  " 

"  I  have  done  for  him  what  he  did  for  me." 

Henry  looked  at  Charles  in  astonishment. 

"  Some  day  you  will  know  what  I  mean,  Henriot ;  meanwhile 


326  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

come  here  and  see."  He  approached  the  bed,  on  which  the 
child  still  slept. 

"  Ah !  "  said  he,  "  if  this  little  fellow  were  in  the  Louvre 
instead  of  here  in  this  little  house  in  the  Rue  des  Barres,  many 
things  would  be  changed  for  the  present  as  well  as  for  the 
future  perhaps."  1 

"Sire,"  said  Marie,  "if  your  Majesty  is  willing,  I  prefer 
him  to  stay  here ;  he  sleeps  better." 

"Let  us  not  disturb  his  slumber,  then,"  said  the  King;  "it 
is  so  sweet  to  sleep  when  one  does  not  dream !  " 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  Marie,  pointing  to  a  door  opening  out  of 
the  room. 

"  Yes,  you  are  right,  Marie,"  said  Charles  IX.,  "  let  us  have 
supper." 

"  My  well-beloved  Charles,"  said  Marie,  "  you  will  ask  the 
king  your  brother  to  excuse  me,  will  you  not  ?  " 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  For  having  dismissed  our  servants,  sire,"  continued  Marie, 
turning  to  the  King  of  Navarre  ;  "  you  must  know  that  Charles 
wants  to  be  served  by  me  alone." 

"  Venire  saint  gris  !  "  said  Henry,  "  I  should  think  so  ! " 

Both  men  entered  the  dining-room.  The  mother,  anxious 
and  careful,  laid  a  warm  blanket  over  the  little  Charles,  who, 
thanks  to  the  sound  sleep  of  childhood,  so  envied  by  his 
father,  had  not  wakened. 

Marie  rejoined  them. 

"  There  are  only  two  covers  !  "  said  the  King. 

"  Permit  me,"  said  Marie,  "  to  serve  your  majesties." 

"  Now,"  said  Charles,  "  this  is  where  you  cause  me  trouble, 
Henriot " 

"  How  so,  sire  ?  " 

"  Did  you  not  hear  ?  " 

"  Forgive  me,  Charles,  forgive  me." 

"  Yes,  I  will  forgive  you.  But  sit  here,  near  me,  between 
us." 

"I  will  obey,"  said  Marie. 

She  brought  a  plate,  sat  down  between  the  two  kings,  and 
served  them. 

"  Is  it  not  good,  Henriot,"  said  Charles,  "  to  have  one  place 

1  Had  this  natural  child,  no  other  than  the  famous  Due  d'Angouleme,  who  died  in 
1650,  been  legitimate,  he  would  have  supplanted  Heury  III.,  Henry  IV.,  Louis  XIII.,  and 
Louis  XIV.  What  would  he  have  given  in  place  of  them?  The  imagination  gropes 
hopelessly  about  among  the  shadows  of  such  a  question. 


THE    ANAGRAM.  327 

in  the  world  in  which  one  can  eat  and  drink  without  needing 
any  one  to  taste  the  meats  and  wines  beforehand  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  smiling,  and  by  the  smile  replying  to 
the  constant  fear  in  his  own  mind,  "  believe  me,  I  appreciate 
your  happiness  more  than  any  one." 

"  And  tell  her,  Henriot,  that  in  order  for  us  to  live  happily, 
she  must  not  mingle  in  politics.  Above  all,  she  must  not  be- 
come acquainted  with  my  mother." 

"  Queen  Catharine  loves  your  Majesty  so  passionately  that 
she  would  be  jealous  of  any  other  love,"  replied  Henry,  finding 
by  a  subterfuge  the  means  of  avoiding  the  dangerous  confi- 
dence of  the  King. 

"  Marie,"  said  the  latter,  "  I  have  brought  you  one  of  the 
finest  and  the  wittiest  men  I  know.  At  court,  you  see,  and 
this  is  saying  a  great  deal,  he  puts  every  one  in  the  shade.  I 
alone  have  clearly  understood,  not  his  heart,  perhaps,  but  his 
mind." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  I  am  sorry  that  in  exaggerating  the 
one  as  you  do,  you  mistrust  the  other." 

"  I  exaggerate  nothing,  Henriot,"  said  the  King  ;  "  besides, 
you  will  be  known  some  day." 

Then  turning  to  the  young  woman : 

11  He  makes  delightful  anagrams.  Ask  him  to  make  one  of 
your  name.  I  will  answer  that  he  will  do  it." 

"  Oh,  what  could  you  expect  to  find  in  the  name  of  a  poor 
girl  like  me  ?  what  gentle  thought  could  there  be  in  the  letters 
with  which  chance  spelled  Marie  Touchet  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  the  anagram  from  this  name,  sire,"  said  Henry,  "  is 
so  easy  that  there  is  no  great  merit  in  finding  it." 

"  Ah !  ah  !  it  is  already  found,"  said  Charles.  "  You  see  — 
Marie." 

Henry  drew  his  tablets  from  the  pocket  of  his  doublet,  tore 
out  a  paper,  and  below  the  name  Marie  Touchet  wrote  Jc 
charme  tout.  Then  he  handed  the  paper  to  the  young  woman. 

"  Truly,"  she  cried,  "  it  is  impossible  !  " 

"  What  has  he  found  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  Sire,  I  dare  not  repeat  it." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  in  the  name  Marie  Touchet  there  is, 
letter  for  letter,  by  changing  the  '  i '  into  a  '  j,'  as  is  often 
done,  Je  charme  tout."  (I  charm  all.) 

"  Yes,"  exclaimed  Charles,  "  letter  for  letter.  I  want  this 
to  be  your  motto,  Marie,  do  you  hear  ?  Never  was  one  better 


328  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

deserved.     Thanks,    Henriot.     Marie,  I   will    give    it   to  you 
written  in  diamonds." 

The  supper  over,  two  o'clock  struck  from  Notre-Dame. 

"  Now,"  said  Charles,  "  in  return  for  this  compliment,  Marie, 
you  will  give  the  king  an  armchair,  in  which  he  can  sleep 
until  daybreak ;  but  let  it  be  some  distance  from  us,  because 
he  snores  frightfully.  Then  if  you  waken  before  I  do,  you 
will  rouse  me,  for  at  six  o'clock  we  have  to  be  at  the  Bastille. 
Good-night,  Henriot.  Make  yourself  as  comfortable  as  pos- 
sible. But,"  he  added,  approaching  the  King  of  Navarre  and 
laying  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  "  for  your  life,  Henry,  —  do  you 
hear  ?  for  JOUT  life,  —  do  not  leave  here  without  me,  especially 
to  return  to  the  Louvre." 

Henry  had  suspected  too  many  things  in  what  still  remained 
unexplained  to  him  to  disobey  such  advice.  Charles  IX. 
entered  his  room,  and  Henry,  the  sturdy  mountaineer,  settled 
himself  in  an  armchair,  in  which  he  soon  justified  the  precau- 
tion taken  by  his  brother-in-law  in  keeping  at  a  distance. 

At  dawn  he  was  awakened  by  Charles.  As  he  had  not  un- 
dressed, it  did  not  take  him  long  to  finish  his  toilet.  The  King 
was  more  happy  and  smiling  than  he  ever  was  at  the  Louvre. 
The  hours  spent  by  him  in  that  little  house  in  the  Rue  des 
Barres  were  his  hours  of  sunshine. 

Both  men  went  out  through  the  sleeping-room.  The  young 
woman  was  still  in  bed.  The  child  was  asleep  in  its  cradle. 
Both  were  smiling. 

Charles  looked  at  them  for  a  moment  with  infinite  tender- 
ness. 

Then  turning  to  the  King  of  Navarre : 

"  Henriot,"  said  he,  "  if  you  ever  hear  what  I  did  for  you 
last  night,  or  if  misfortune  come  to  me,  remember  this  child 
asleep  in  its  cradle." 

Then  kissing  both  mother  and  child  on  the  forehead,  with- 
out giving  Henry  time  to  question  him: 

"Good-by,  my  angels,"  said  he,  and  went  out. 

Henry  followed,  deep  in  thought.  The  horses  were  waiting 
for  them  at  the  Bastille,  held  by  the  gentlemen  to  whom  Charles 
IX.  had  given  the  order. 

Charles  signed  to  Henry  to  mount,  sprang  into  his  own  sad- 
dle, and  riding  through  the  garden  of  the  Arbalite,  followed 
the  outside  highways. 

"  Where  are  we  going  ?  "  asked  Henry. 


THE    RETURN    TO    THE    LOUVRE.  329 

"  We  are  going  to  see  if  the  Due  d'Anjou  returned  for 
Madame  de  Conde  alone/'  replied  Charles,  "  and  if  there  is  as 
much  ambition  as  love  in  his  heart,  which  I  greatly  doubt." 

Henry  did  not  understand  the  answer,  but  followed  Charles 
in  silence. 

They  reached  the  Marais,  and  as  from  the  shadow  of  the 
palisades  they  could  see  all  which  at  that  time  was  called 
the  Faubourg  Saint  Laurent,  Charles  pointed  out  to  Henry 
through  the  grayish  mist  of  the  morning  some  men  wrapped 
in  great  cloaks  and  wearing  fur  caps.  They  were  on  horseback, 
and  rode  ahead  of  a  wagon  which  was  heavily  laden.  As 
they  drew  near  they  became  outlined  more  clearly,  and  one 
could  see  another  man  in  a  long  brown  cloak,  his  face  hidden 
by  a  French  hat,  riding  and  talking  with  them. 

"Ah  !  ah!"  said  Charles,  smiling,  "I  thought  so." 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  Henry,  "  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  that 
rider  in  the  brown  cloak  is  the  Due  d'Anjou." 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles  IX.  «  Turn  out  a  little,  Henriot,  I  do 
not  want  him  to  see  us." 

"  But,"  asked  Henry,  "  who  are  the  men  in  gray  cloaks  with 
fur  caps  ?  " 

"  Those  men,"  said  Charles,  "  are  Polish  ambassadors,  and 
in  that  wagon  is  a  crown.  And  now,"  said  he,  urging  his 
horse  to  a  gallop,  and  turning  into  the  road  of  the  Porte  du 
Temple,  "  come,  Henriot,  I  have  seen  all  that  I  wanted  to  see." 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

THE  RETURN  TO  THE  LOUVRE. 

WHEN  Catharine  thought  that  everything  was  over  in  the 
King  of  Navarre's  rooms,  when  the  dead  guards  had  been  re- 
moved, when  Maurevel  had  been  carried  to  her  apartments, 
and  the  carpet  had  been  cleaned,  she  dismissed  her  women,  for 
it  was  almost  midnight,  and  strove  to  sleep.  But  the  shock 
had  been  too  violent,  and  the  disappointment  too  keen. 

That  detested  Henry,  constantly  escaping  her  snares,  which 
were  usually  fatal,  seemed  protected  by  some  invincible  power 
which  Catharine  persisted  in  calling  chance,  although  in  her 
heart  of  hearts  a  voice  told  her  that  its  true  name  was  destiny. 


330  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

The  thought  that  the  report  of  the  new  attempt  in  spreading 
throughout  the  Louvre  and  beyond  the  Louvre  would  give  a 
greater  confidence  than  ever  in  the  future  to  Henry  and  the 
Huguenots  exasperated  her,  and  at  that  moment  had  chance, 
against  which  she  was  so  unfortunately  struggling,  delivered  her 
enemy  into  her  hands,  surely  with  the  little  Florentine  dagger 
she  wore  at  her  belt  she  could  have  thwarted  that  destiny  so 
favorable  to  the  King  of  Navarre. 

The  hours  of  the  night,  hours  so  long  for  one  waiting  and 
watching  struck  one  after  another  without  Catharine's  being 
able  to  close  her  eyes.  A  whole  world  of  new  plans  unrolled 
in  her  visionary  mind  during  those  nocturnal  hours.  Finally 
at  daybreak  she  rose,  dressed  herself,  and  went  to  the  apart- 
ments of  Charles  IX. 

The  guards,  who  were  accustomed  to  see  her  go  to  the  King  at 
all  hours  of  the  day  and  night,  let  her  pass.  She  crossed  the 
antechamber,  therefore,  and  reached  the  armory.  But  there 
she  found  the  nurse  of  Charles,  who  was  awake. 

"  My  son  ?  "  said  the  queen. 

"  Madame,  he  gave  orders  that  no  one  was  to  be  admitted  to 
his  room  before  eight  o'clock." 

"  This  order  was  not  for  me,  nurse." 

"  It  was  for  every  one,  madame." 

Catharine  smiled. 

"  Yes,  I  know  very  well,"  said  the  nurse,  "  that  no  one  has  any 
right  to  oppose  your  majesty ;  I  therefore  beg  you  to  listen  to 
the  prayer  of  a  poor  woman  and  to  refrain  from  entering." 

"  Nurse,  I  must  speak  to  my  son." 

"  Madame,  I  will  not  open  the  door  except  on  a  formal  order 
from  your  majesty." 

"  Open,  nurse,"  said  Catharine,  "  I  order  you  to  open !  " 

At  this  voice,  more  respected  and  much  more  feared  in  the 
Louvre  than  that  of  Charles  himself,  the  nurse  handed  the  key 
to  Catharine,  but  the  queen  had  no  need  of  it.  She  drew  from 
her  pocket  her  own  key  of  the  room,  and  under  its  heavy 
pressure  the  door  yielded. 

The  room  was  vacant,  Charles's  bed  was  untouched,  and  his 
greyhound  Acteon,  'asleep  on  the  bear-skin  that  covered  the 
step  of  the  bed,  rose  and  came  forward  to  lick  the  ivory  hands 
of  Catharine. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  the  queen,  frowning,  "  he  is  out !  I  will  wait 
for  him." 


THE    RETURN    TO    THE    LOUVRE.  331 

She  seated  herself,  pensive  and  gloomy,  at  the  window  which 
overlooked  the  court  of  the  Louvre,  and  from  which  the  chief 
entrance  was  visible. 

For  two  hours  she  sat  there,  as  motionless  and  pale  as  a 
marble  statue,  when  at  length  she  perceived  a  troop  of  horse- 
men returning  to  the  Louvre,  at  whose  head  she  recognized 
Charles  and  Henry  of  Navarre. 

Then  she  understood  all.  Instead  of  arguing  with  her  in 
regard  to  the  arrest  of  his  brother-in-law,  Charles  had  taken 
him  away  and  so  had  saved  him. 

"  Blind,  blind,  blind  ! "  she  murmured.  Then  she  waited. 
An  instant  later  footsteps  were  heard  in  the  adjoining  room, 
which  was  the  armory. 

"  But,  sire,"  Henry  was  saying,  "  now  that  we  have  returned 
to  the  Louvre,  tell  me  why  you  took  me  away  and  what  is  the 
service  you  have  rendered  me." 

"No,  no,  Henriot,"  replied  Charles,  laughing,  "some  day, 
perhaps,  you  will  find  out ;  but  for  the  present  it  must  remain 
a  mystery.  Know  only  that  for  the  time  being  you  have  in  all 
probability  brought  about  a  fierce  quarrel  between  my  mother 
and  me." 

As  he  uttered  these  words,  Charles  raised  the  curtain  and 
found  himself  face  to  face  with  Catharine. 

Behind  him  and  above  his  shoulder  rose  the  pale,  anxious 
countenance  of  the  Bearnais. 

"  Ah  !  you  here,  madame  ?  "  said  Charles  IX.,  frowning. 

"  Yes,  my  son,"  said  Catharine,  "  I  want  to  speak  to  you." 

«  To  me  ?  " 

"  To  you  alone." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Charles,  turning  to  his  brother-in-law, 
"  since  there  is  no  escape,  the  sooner  the  better." 

"  I  will  leave  you,  sire,"  said  Henry. 

"  Yes,  yes,  leave  us,"  replied  Charles  ;  "  and  as  you  are  a 
Catholic,  Henriot,  go  and  hear  a  mass  for  me  while  I  stay  for 
the  sermon." 

Henry  bowed  and  withdrew. 

Charles  IX.  went  directly  to  the  point. 

"  Well,  madame,"  said  he,  trying  to  make  a  joke  of  the 
affair.  "  By  Heaven  !  you  are  waiting  to  scold  me,  are  you 
not  ?  I  wickedly  upset  your  little  plan.  Well,  the  devil !  I 
could  not  let  the  man  who  had  just  saved  my  life  be  arrested 
and  taken  to  the  Bastille.  Nor  did  I  want  to  quarrel  with  my 


332  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

mother.  I  am  a  good  son.  Moreover,"  he  added  in  a  low 
tone,  "the  Lord  punishes  children  who  quarrel  with  their 
mothers.  Witness  my  brother  Franqois  II.  Forgive  me,  there- 
fore, frankly,  and  confess  that  the  joke  was  a  good  one." 

"  Sire,"  said  Catharine,  "  your  Majesty  is  mistaken  ;  it  is 
not  a  joke.'' 

"  Yes,  yes  !  and  you  will  end  by  looking  at  it  in  that  way, 
or  the  devil  take  me  !  " 

"  Sire,  by  your  blunder  you  have  baffled  a  project  which 
would  have  led  to  an  important  discovery." 

"  Bah!  a  project.  Are  you  embarrassed  because  of  a  baffled 
project,  mother  ?  You  can  make  twenty  others,  and  in  those, 
—  well,  I  promise  I  will  second  you." 

"  Now  that  you  will  second  me  it  is  too  late,  for  he  is 
warned  and  will  be  on  his  guard." 

"  Well,"  said  the  King,  "  let  us  come  to  the  point. '  What 
have  you  against  Henriot  ?  " 

"  The  fact  that  he  conspires." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that  this  is  your  constant  accusation  ;  but 
does  not  every  one  conspire  more  or  less  in  this  charming  royal 
household  called  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"  But  he  conspires  more  than  any  one,  and  he  is  much  more 
dangerous  than  one  imagines." 

"  A  regular  Lorenzino  ! "  said  Charles. 

"  Listen,"  said  Catharine,  becoming  gloomy  at  mention  of 
this  name,  which  reminded  her  of  one  of  the  bloodiest  catastro- 
phies  in  the  history  of  Florence.  "  Listen  ;  there  is  a  way  of 
proving  to  me  that  I  am  wrong." 

"  What  way,  mother  ?  " 

"  Ask  Henry  who  was  in  his  room  last  night." 

"  In  his  room  last  night  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  if  he  tells  you  "  — 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  shall  be  ready  to  admit  that  I  have  been  mistaken." 

"  But  in  case  it  was  a  woman,  we  cannot  ask." 

"  A  woman  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  A  woman  who  killed  two  of  your  guards  and  perhaps 
mortally  wounded  Monsieur  de  Maurevel !  " 

"  Oh  !  oh  ! "  said  the  King,  "  this  is  serious.  Was  there  any 
bloodshed  ?  " 

"  Three  men  were  stretched  on  the  floor." 


THE    RETURN    TO    THE    LOUVRE.  333 

"  And  the  one  who  reduced  them  to  this  state  ?  " 

"Escaped  safe  and  sound." 

"  By  Gog  and  Magog  !  "  exclaimed  Charles,  "  he  was  a  brave 
fellow,  and  you  are  right,  mother,  I  must  know  him." 

"Well,  I  tell  you  in  advance  that  you  will  not  know 
him,  at  least  not  through  Henry." 

"  But  through  you,  mother  ?  The  man  did  not  escape  with- 
out leaving  some  trace,  without  your  noticing  some  part  of  his 
clothing." 

"  Nothing  was  noticed  except  the  very  elegant  red  cloak 
which  he  wore." 

"  Ah !  ah !  a  red  cloak !  "  cried  Charles.  "  I  know  only  one 
at  court  remarkable  enough  to  attract  attention." 

"  Exactly,"  said  Catharine. 

«  Well  ?  "  demanded  Charles. 

"  Well,"  said  Catharine,  "  wait  for  me  in  your  rooms,  my 
son,  and  I  will  go  and  see  if  my  orders  have  been  carried  out." 

Catharine  left,  and  Charles,  alone,  began  walking  up  and 
down  distractedly,  whistling  a  hunting-song,  one  hand  in  his 
doublet,  the  other  hanging  down,  which  his  dog  licked  every 
time  he  paused. 

As  to  Henry  he  had  left  his  brother-in-law  greatly  dis- 
turbed, and  instead  of  going  along  the  main  corridor  he  had 
taken  the  small  private  stairway,  to  which  we  have  already 
referred  more  than  once,  and  which  led  to  the  second  story. 
Scarcely  had  he  ascended  four  steps  before  he  perceived  a 
figure  at  the  first  landing.  He  stopped,  raising  his  hand  to 
his  dagger.  But  he  soon  saw  it  was  a  woman,  who  took  hold 
of  his  hand  and  said  in  a  charming  voice  which  he  well  knew : 

"Thank  God,  sire,  you  are  safe  and  sound.  I  was  so  afraid 
for  you,  but  no  doubt  God  heard  my  prayer." 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  said  Henry. 

"  You  will  know  when  you  reach  your  rooms.  You  need 
not  worry  over  Orthon.  I  have  seen  to  him." 

The  young  woman  descended  the  stairs  hastily,  making 
Henry  believe  that  she  had  met  him  by  chance. 

"  That  is  strange,"  said  Henry'  to  himself.  "  What  is  the 
matter  ?  What  has  happened  to  Orthon  ?  " 

Unfortunately,  the  question  was  not  heard  by  Madame  de 
Sauve,  for  the  latter  had  already  disappeared. 

Suddenly  at  the  top  of  the  stairs  Henry  perceived  another 
figure,  but  this  time  it  was  that  of  a  man. 


334  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

"  Hush  !  "  said  the  man. 

"  Ah !  is  it  you,  Franqois  ?  " 

"  Do  not  call  me  by  my  name." 

"  What  has  happened  ?  " 

"  Return  to  your  rooms  and  you  will  see,  then  slip  into  the 
corridor,  look  carefully  around  to  make  sure  that  no  one  is 
spying  on  you,  and  come  to  my  apartments.  The  door  will  be 
ajar." 

He,  too,  disappeared  down  the  stairs,  like  the  phantoms  in  a 
theatre  who  glide  through  a  trap  door. 

"  Ventre  saint  gris  !  "  murmured  the  Bearnais,  "  the  puzzle 
continues ;  but  since  the  answer  is  in  my  rooms,  let  us  go 
thither  and  find  it." 

However,  it  was  not  without  emotion  that  Henry  went  on 
his  way.  He  had  the  sensitiveness  and  the  superstition  of 
youth.  Everything  was  clearly  reflected  on  his  mind,  the  sur- 
face of  which  was  as  smooth  as  a  mirror,  and  what  he  had  just 
heard  foretold  trouble. 

He  reached  the  door  of  his  rooms  and  listened.  Not  a 
sound.  Besides,  since  Charlotte  had  said  to  return  to  his 
apartments,  it  was  evident  that  there  was  nothing  for  him  to 
fear  by  doing  so.  He  glanced  hurriedly  around  the  first  room 
—  it  was  vacant.  Nothing  showed  that  anything  had  occurred. 

"  Orthon  is  not  here,"  said  he. 

He  passed  on  to  the  next  room.  There  everything  was 
explained. 

In  spite  of  the  water  which  had  been  thrown  on  in  buckets- 
ful,  great  red  spots  covered  the  floor.  A  piece  of  furniture 
was  broken,  the  bed  curtains  had  been  slashed  by  the  sword, 
a  Venetian  mirror  had  been  shattered  by  a  bullet ;  and  a 
bloody  hand  which  had  left  its  terrible  imprint  on  the  wall 
showed  that  this  silent  chamber  had  been  the  scene  of  a  fright- 
ful struggle.  Henry  embraced  all  these  details  at  a  glance,  and 
passing  his  hand  across  his  forehead,  now  damp  with  perspira- 
tion, murmured  : 

"  Ah,  I  know  now  the  service  the  King  has  rendered  me. 
They  came  here  to  assassinate  me  —  and  —  ah !  De  Mouy  ! 
what  have  they  done  to  De  Mouy  ?  The  wretches !  They 
may  have  killed  him  ! " 

And  as  anxious  to  learn  the  news  as  the  Due  d'Alenqon  was 
to  tell  it,  Henry  threw  a  last  mournful  glance  on  the  surround- 
ing objects,  hurried  from  the  room,  reached  the  corridor,  made 


THE    RETURN    TO    THE    LOUVRE.  335 

sure  that  it  was  vacant,  and  pushing  open  the  half-closed  door, 
which  he  carefully  shut  behind  him,  he  hurried  to  the  Due 
d'Alenqon's. 

The  duke  was  waiting  for  him  in  the  first  room.  Laying 
his  finger  on  his  lips,  he  hastily  took  Henry's  hand  and  drew 
him  into  a  small  round  tower  which  was  completely  isolated, 
and  which  consequently  was  out  of  range  of  spies. 

"  Ah,  brother,"  said  he,  "  what  a  horrible  night ! " 

"  What  happened  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  They  tried  to  arrest  you." 

"Me?" 

"  Yes,  you." 

"  For  what  reason  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know.     Where  were  you  ?  " 

"  The  King  took  me  into  the  city  with  him  last  night." 

"  Then  he  knew  about  it,"  said  D'Alenqon.  "  But  since  you 
were  not  in  your  rooms,  who  was  ?  " 

"  Was  some  one  there  ?  "  asked  Henry  as  if  he  were  ignorant 
of  the  fact. 

"  Yes,  a  man.  When  I  had  heard  the  noise,  I  ran  to  help 
you;  but  it  was  too  late." 

"  Was  the  man  arrested  ?  "  asked  Henry,  anxiously. 

"  No,  he  escaped,  after  he  had  wounded  Maurevel  danger- 
ously and  killed  two  guards." 

"  Ah  !  brave  De  Mouy  !  "  cried  Henry. 

"  It  was  De  Mouy,  then  ?  "  said  D'Alengon,  quickly. 

Henry  saw  that  he  had  made  a  mistake. 

"  I  presume  so,"  said  he,  "  for  I  had  an  appointment  with 
him  to  discuss  your  escape,  and  to  tell  him  that  I  had  yielded 
all  my  rights  to  the  throne  of  Navarre  to  you." 

"  If  that  is  known,"  said  D'Alenqon,  growing  pale,  "  we  are 
lost." 

"  Yes,  for  Maurevel  will  speak." 

"  Maurevel  received  a  sword-thrust  in  his  throat,  and  I 
found  out  from  the  surgeon  who  dressed  the  wound  that  it 
would  be  a  week  before  he  would  utter  a  single  word." 

"  A  week  !  That  is  more  than  enough  for  De  Mouy  to 
escape." 

"  For  that  matter,"  said  D'Alengon,  "  it  might  have  been 
some  one  besides  Monsieur  de  Mouy." 

"  You  think  so  ?  "  said  Henry. 


336  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Yes,  the  man  disappeared  very  quickly,  and  nothing  bnt 
his  red  cloak  was  seen." 

"  And  a  red  cloak,"  said  Henry,  "  is  more  apt  to  be  worn  by 
a  courtier  than  by  a  soldier.  I  should  never  suspect  De  Mouy 
in  a  red  cloak." 

"  No,  if  any  one  were  suspected,"  said  D'Alenqon,  "  it  would 
be  more  apt  to  be  " 

He  stopped. 

"  It  would  be  more  likely  to  be  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said 
Henry. 

"  Certainly,  since  I  myself,  who  saw  the  man  running  away, 
thought  so  for  an  instant." 

"  You  thought  so  ?  Why,  it  must  have  been  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole,  then." 

"  Does  he  know  anything  ?  "  asked  D'Alenqon. 

"  Absolutely  nothing  ;  at  least,  nothing  of  importance." 

"  Brother,"  said  the  duke  ;  "  I  really  think  now  that  it  was 
he." 

"  The  devil !  "  said  Henry ;  "  if  it  was,  that  will  trouble  the 
queen  greatly,  for  she  is  interested  in  him." 

"  Interested,  you  say  ?  "  said  D'Alenqon  in  amazement. 

"  Yes.  Do  you  not  remember,  Francois,  that  it  was  your 
sister  who  recommended  him  to  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  duke,  in  a  dull  voice  ;  "  so  I  tried  to  be  agree- 
able to  him.  The  proof  of  this  is  that,  fearing  his  red  cloak 
might  compromise  him,  I  went  up  to  his  rooms  and  took  the 
cloak  away." 

"  Oh !  oh  ! "  exclaimed  Henry,  "  that  was  doubly  prudent. 
And  now  I  would  not  bet,  but  I  would  swear,  that  it  was  he." 

"  Even  in  court  ?  "  asked  Francois. 

"  Faith,  yes,"  replied  Henry.  "  He  probably  came  to  bring 
me  some  message  from  Marguerite." 

"  If  I  were  sure  of  being  upheld  by  your  testimony,"  said 
D'Alenqon,  "  I  would  almost  accuse  him." 

"  If  you  were  to  accuse  him,"  replied  Henry,  "  you  under- 
stand, brother,  that  I  would  not  contradict  you." 

"  But  the  queen  ?  "  said  D'Alenqon. 

"  Ah,  yes,  the  queen." 

"  We  must  know  what  she  would  do." 

"  I  will  undertake  to  find  out." 

'•  Plague  it,  brother  !  she  will  do  wrong  to  lie  to  us,  for  this 
affair  will  make  a  glorious  reputation  of  bravery  for  the  young 


THE    RETURN    TO    THE    LOUVRE.  337 

man,  and  which  cannot  have  cost  him  dear  either,  for  he 
probably  bought  it  on  credit.  Furthermore,  it  is  true  that  he 
is  well  able  to  pay  back  both  interest  and  capital." 

"  Well,  what  can  you  expect  ?  "  said  Henry  ;  "  in  this  base 
world  one  has  nothing  for  nothing ! " 

And  bowing  and  smiling  to  D'Alenqon,  he  cautiously  thrust 
his  head  into  the  corridor,  and  making  sure  that  no  one  had 
been  listening,  he  hurried  rapidly  away,  and  disappeared  down 
the  private  stairway  which  led  to  the  apartments  of  Mar- 
guerite. 

As  far  as  she  was  concerned,  the  Queen  of  Navarre  was  no 
less  anxious  than  her  husband.  The  night's  expedition  sent 
against  her  and  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  by  the  King,  the  Due 
d'Anjou,  the  Due  de  Guise,  and  Henry,  whom  she  had  recog- 
nized, troubled  her  greatly.  In  all  probability  there  was 
nothing  which  could  compromise  her.  The  janitor  unfastened 
from  the  gate  by  La  Mole  and  Coconnas  had  promised  to  be 
silent.  But  four  lords  like  those  with  whom  two  simple 
gentlemen,  such  as  La  Mole  and  Coconnas,  had  coped,  would 
not  have  gone  out  of  their  way  by  chance,  or  without  having 
had  some  reason  for  thus  inconveniencing  themselves.  Mar- 
guerite had  returned  at  daybreak,  having  passed  the  rest  of 
the  night  with  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers.  She  had  retired  at 
once,  but  had  been  unable  to  sleep,  and  had  started  at  the 
slightest  sound. 

In  the  midst  of  this  anxiety  she  heard  some  one  knocking 
at  the  secret  door,  and  being  informed  that  the  visitor  was 
Gillonne,  she  gave  orders  to  have  her  admitted. 

Henry  waited  at  the  outer  door.  Nothing  in  his  appearance 
showed  the  wounded  husband.  His  usual  smile  lay  on  his 
delicate  lips,  and  not  a  muscle  of  his  face  betrayed  the  terrible 
anxiety  through  which  he  had  just  passed.  He  seemed  to 
glance  inquiringly  at  Marguerite  to  discover  if  she  would  allow 
him  to  talk  with  her  alone.  Marguerite  understood  her  hus- 
band's look,  and  signed  to  Gillonne  to  withdraw. 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  "  I  know  how  deeply  you  are  at- 
tached to  your  friends,  and  I  fear  I  bring  you  bad  news." 

"  What  is  it,  monsieur  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  One  of  your  dearest  servants  is  at  present  greatly  compro- 
mised." 

"  Which  one  ?  " 

"  The  dear  Count  de  la  Mole." 


338  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

"  Monsieur  le  Comte  de  la  Mole  compromised  !    And  why  ?  " 

"  Because  of  the  affair  of  last  night." 

In  spite  of  her  s.elf-control  Marguerite  could  not  keep  from 
blushing. 

But  she  made  an  effort  over  herself. 

«  What  affair  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  What,"  said  Henry,  "  did  you  not  hear  all  the  noise  which 
was  made  in  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"No,  monsieur." 

"  I  congratulate  you,  madame,"  said  Henry,  with  charming 
simplicity.  "  This  proves  that  you  are  a  sound  sleeper." 

"  But  what  happened  ?  " 

"  It  seems  that  our  good  mother  gave  an  order  to  Monsieur 
de  Maurevel  and  six  of  his  men  to  arrest  me." 

"  You,  monsieur,  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  me." 

"  For  what  reason  ?  " 

"  Ah,  who  can  tell  the  reasons  of  a  mind  as  subtle  as  that 
of  your  mother  ?  I  suspect  the  reasons,  but  I  do  not  know 
them  positively." 

"  And  you  were  not  in  your  rooms  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  happened  not  to  be.  You  have  guessed  rightly, 
madame,  I  was  not.  Last  evening  the  King  asked  me  to  go 
out  with  him.  But,  although  I  was  not  in  my  rooms,  some  one 
else  was." 

«  Who  ?  " 

"  It  seems  that  it  was  the  Count  de  la  Mole." 

"  The  Count  de  la  Mole  !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  astonished. 

"  By  Heavens  !  what  a  lively  little  fellow  this  man  from  the 
provinces  is  ! "  continued  Henry.  "  Do  you  know  that  he 
wounded  Maurevel  and  killed  two  guards  ?  " 

"  Wounded  Monsieur  de  Maurevel  and  killed  two  guards  !  — 
impossible ! " 

"  What !     You  doubt  his  courage,  madame  ?  " 

"  No,  but  I  say  that  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  could  not  have 
been  in  your  rooms." 

«  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Why,  because  —  because  "  —  said  Marguerite,  embarrassed, 
"  because  he  was  elsewhere." 

"  Ah !  If  he  can  prove  an  alibi,"  said  Henry,  "  that  is 
different ;  he  will  tell  where  he  was,  and  the  matter  will  be 
settled." 


THE    RETURN    TO    THE    LOUVRE.  339 

"  Where  was  he  ?  "  said  Marguerite,  quickly. 

"  In  all  probability  the  day  will  not  pass  without  his  being 
arrested  and  questioned.  But  unfortunately  as  there  are 
proofs  " 

"  Proofs !  what  proofs  ?  " 

"  The  man  who  made  this  desperate  defence  wore  a  red 
cloak." 

"  But  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  not  the  only  one  who  has  a 
red  cloak  —  I  know  another  man  who  has  one." 

u  No  doubt,  and  I  too  know  one.  But  this  is  what  will 
happen :  if  it  was  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  who  was  in  my 
rooms,  it  must  have  been  the  other  man  who  wears  a  red 
cloak,  like  La  Mole.  Now,  do  you  know  who  this  other  man 
is?" 

"  Heavens !  " 

"  There  lies  the  danger.  You,  as  well  as  myself,  madame, 
have  seen  it.  Your  emotion  proves  this.  Let  us  now  talk 
like  two  people  who  are  discussing  the  most  desirable  thing  in 
the  world  —  a  throne ;  a  most  precious  gift  —  life.  De  Mouy 
arrested,  we  are  ruined." 

"  Yes,  I  understand  that." 

"  While  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  compromises  no  one  ;  at  least 
you  would  not  suppose  him  capable  of  inventing  a  story  such 
as,  for  instance,  that  he  was  with  some  ladies  —  whom  I 
know  ?  " 

"Monsieur,"  said  Marguerite,  "if  you  fear  only  that,  you 
may  be  easy.  He  will  not  say  it." 

"  What !  "  said  Henry,  "  would  he  remain  silent  if  death 
were  to  be  the  price  of  his  silence  ?  " 

"  He  would  remain  silent,  monsieur." 

"  You  are  sure  of  this  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure." 

"  Then  everything  is  for  the  best,"  said  Henry,  rising. 

"  You  are  going,  monsieur  ?  "  asked  Marguerite,  quickly. 

"  Oh,  my  God,  yes.     This  is  all  I  had  to  say  to  you." 

"  And  you  are  going  "  — 

"  To  try  and  get  out  of  the  trouble  we  have  been  put  to  by 
this  devil  of  a  man  in  the  red  cloak." 

"  Oh,  my  God !  my  God !  the  poor  young  man  ! "  cried 
Marguerite,  pitifully,  wringing  her  hands. 

"  Really,"  said  Henry,  as  he  went  out,  "  this  dear  Monsieur 
de  la  Mole  is  a  faithful  servant." 


340  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

THE    GIRDLE    OF    THE    QUEEN    MOTHER. 

CHARLES  entered  his  room,  smiling  and  joking.  But  after  a 
conversation  of  ten  minutes  with  his  mother,  one  would  have 
said  that  the  latter  had  given  him  her  pallor  and  anger  in  ex- 
change for  the  light-heartedness  of  her  son. 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  Charles,  "  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ! 
Henry  and  the  Due  d'Alengon  must  be  sent  for.  Henry,  be- 
cause this  young  man  was  a  Huguenot;  the  Due  d'Alenqon, 
because  he  is  in  his  service." 

"  Send  for  them  if  you  wish,  my  son,  but  you  will  learn 
nothing.  Henry  and  Franqois,  I  fear,  are  much  more  closely 
bound  together  than  one  would  suppose  from  appearances.  To 
question  them  is  to  suspect  them.  I  think  it  would  be  better 
to  wait  for  the  slow  but  sure  proof  of  time.  If  you  give  the 
guilty  ones  time  to  breathe  again,  my  son,  if  you  let  them  think 
they  have  escaped  your  vigilance,  they  will  become  bold  and 
triumphant,  and  will  give  you  a  better  opportunity  to  punish 
them.  Then  we  shall  know  everything." 

Charles  walked  up  and  down,  undecided,  gnawing  his  anger, 
as  a  horse  gnaws  his  bit,  and  pressing  his  clinched  hand  to  his 
heart,  which  was  consumed  by  his  one  idea. 

"  No,  no,"  said  he,  at  length ;  "  I  will  not  wait.  You  do  not 
know  what  it  is  to  wait,  beset  with  suspicions  as  I  am.  Be- 
sides, every  day  these  courtiers  become  more  insolent.  Even 
last  night  did  not  two  of  them  dare  to  cope  with  us  ? 
If  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  innocent,  very  good ;  but  I  should 
not  be  sorry  to  know  where  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  was  last 
night,  while  they  were  attacking  my  guards  in  the  Louvre, 
and  me  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee.  So  let  the  Due  d'Alenqon 
be  sent  for,  and  afterwards  Henry.  I  will  question  them  sep- 
arately. You  may  remain,  mother." 

Catharine  sat  down.  For  a  determined  spirit  such  as  hers 
was,  every  incident  turned  by  her  powerful  hand  would  lead 
her  to  her  goal,  although  it  might  seem  to  be  leading  away 
from  it.  From  every  blow  there  would  result  noise  and  a 
spark.  The  noise  would  guide,  the  spark  give  light. 

The  Due  d'Alen^on    entered.      His   previous   conversation 


THE    GIRDLE    OF    THE    QUEEN   MOTHER.        341 

with  Henry  had  prepared  him  for  this  interview ;  therefore  he 
was  quite  calm. 

His  replies  were  very  exact.  Warned  by  his  mother  to  remain 
in  his  own  rooms,  he  was  completely  ignorant  of  the  events  of 
the  night.  But  as  his  apartments  opened  upon  the  same  corri- 
dor as  did  those  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  he  had  at  first 
thought  he  heard  a  sound  like  that  of  a  door  being  broken  in, 
then  curses,  then  pistol-shots.  Thereupon  he  had  ventured  to 
push  his  door  partly  open,  and  had  seen  a  man  in  a  red  cloak 
running  away. 

Charles  and  his  mother  exchanged  glances. 

"  In  a  red  cloak  ?  "  said  the  King. 

"  In  a  red  cloak,"  replied  D'Alen^on. 

"And  did  you  have  any  suspicions  regarding  this  red 
cloak  ?  " 

D'Alenqon  rallied  all  his  strength  that  he  might  lie  as 
naturally  as  possible. 

"  At  first  sight,"  said  he,  "  I  must  confess  to  your  Majesty  that 
I  thought  I  recognized  the  red  cloak  of  one  of  my  gentlemen." 

"  What  is  the  name  of  this  gentleman  ?  " 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

"Why  was  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  with  you  as  his  duty 
required  him  to  be  ?  " 

"  I  had  given  him  leave  of  absence,"  said  the  duke. 

"  That  is  well ;  now  you  may  go,"  said  Charles. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  started  towards  the  door  by  which  he 
had  entered. 

"  Not  that  way,"  said  Charles ;  "  this  way." 

And  he  indicated  the  door  opening  into  his  nurse's  room. 
Charles  did  not  want  Franqois  and  Henry  to  meet. 

He  did  not  know  that  they  had  already  seen  each  other  for 
an  instant,  and  that  this  instant  had  sufficed  for  the  two 
brothers-in-law  to  agree  on  their  plans. 

At  a  sign  from  Charles,  Henry  entered. 

He  did  not  wait  for  Charles  to  question  him,  however. 

"Sire,"  said  he,  "yonr  Majesty  has  done  well  to  send  for 
me,  for  I  was  just  coming  to  demand  justice  of  you." 

Charles  frowned. 

"  Yes,  justice,"  said  Henry.  "  I  will  begin  by  thanking  your 
Majesty  for  having  taken  me  with  you  last  night ;  for,  by  do- 
ing this,  I  now  know  that  you  saved  my  life.  But  what  had  I 
done  that  an  attempt  should  be  made  to  assassinate  me  ?  " 


342  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Not  to  assassinate,"  said  Catharine,  quickly,  "  but  to  arrest 
you." 

"  Well,"  said  Henry,  "  even  so.  What  crime  have  I  com- 
mitted to  merit  arrest  ?  If  I  am  guilty  I  am  as  much  so  this 
morning  as  I  was  last  evening.  Tell  me  my  offence,  sire." 

Embarrassed  as  to  what  reply  to  make,  Charles  looked  at 
his  mother. 

"  My  son,"  said  Catharine,  "  you  receive  suspicious  charac- 
ters." 

"  Very  good,"  said  Henry,  "  and  these  suspicious  characters 
compromise  me ;  is  that  it,  madame  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Henry." 

"  Give  me  their  names  !  Give  me  their  names  !  Who  are 
they  ?  Let  me  see  them  ! " 

"  Really,"  said  Charles,  "  Henriot  has  the  right  to  demand 
an  explanation." 

"  And  I  do  demand  it  !  "  said  Henry,  realizing  the  superior- 
ity of  his  position  and  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  it.  "  I  ask 
it  from  my  good  brother  Charles,  and  from  my  good  mother 
Catharine.  Since  my  marriage  with  Marguerite  have  I  not 
been  a  kind  husband  ?  ask  Marguerite.  A  good  Catholic  ? 
ask  my  confessor.  A  good  relative  ?  ask  those  who  were  at 
the  hunt  yesterday." 

'(  Yes,  that  is  true,  Henriot,"  said  the  King  ;  "  but  what  can 
you  do  ?  They  claim  that  you  conspire." 

"  Against  whom  ?  " 

"  Against  me." 

"  Sire,  if  I  had  been  conspiring  against  you,  I  had  merely  to 
let  events  take  their  course,  when  your  horse  broke  his  knee 
and  could  not  rise,  or  when  the  furious  boar  turned  on  your 
Majesty." 

"  Well,  the  devil !  mother,  do  you  know  that  he  is  right  ?  " 

"  But  who  was  in  your  rooms  last  night  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  "  in  times  when  so  few  dare  to 
answer  for  themselves,  I  should  never  attempt  to  answer  for 
others.  I  left  my  rooms  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  at 
ten  o'clock  my  brother  Charles  took  me  away,  and  I  spent  the 
night  with  him.  I  could  not  be  with  your  Majesty  and  know 
what  was  going  on  in  my  rooms  at  the  same  time." 

"  But,"  said  Catharine,  "  it  is  none  the  less  true  that  one  of 
your  men  killed  two  of  his  Majesty's  guards  and  wounded 
Monsieur  de  Maurevel." 


THE    GIRDLE    OF    THE    QUEEN    MOTHER.        343 

"  One  of  my  men  ?  "  said  Henry.  "  What  man,  inadaine  ? 
Name  him." 

"  Every  one  accuses  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  not  in  my  suite,  madame  ;  Monsieur 
de  la  Mole  belongs  to  Monsieur  d'Alenqon,  to  whom  he  was 
recommended  by  your  daughter." 

"  But,"  said  Charles,  "  was  it  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  who  was 
in  your  rooms,  Henriot  ?  " 

"  How  can  you  expect  me  to  know,  sire  ?  I  can  say  neither 
yes  nor  no.  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  an  exceptional  servant, 
thoroughly  devoted  to  the  Queen  of  Navarre.  He  often 
brings  me  messages,  either  from  Marguerite,  to  whom  he  is 
grateful  for  having  recommended  him  to  Monsieur  le  Due 
d  Alenqon,  or  from  Monsieur  le  Due  himself.  I  cannot  say 
that  it  was  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  "  — 

"  It  was  he,"  said  Catharine.  "  His  red  cloak  was  recog- 
nized." 

"  Has  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  a  red  cloak,  then  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  And  the  man  who  so  cleverly  disposed  of  two  of  my 
guards  and  Monsieur  de  Maurevel  "  — 

"  Had  a  red  cloak  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  Exactly,"  said  Charles. 

"  I  have  nothing  to  say,"  said  the  Bearnais.  "  But  in  any 
case  it  seems  to  me  that  instead  of  summoning  me  here,  since  I 
was  not  in  my  rooms,  it  is  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  who,  having 
been  there,  as  you  say,  should  be  questioned.  But,"  said 
Henry,  "  I  must  observe  one  thing  to  your  Majesty." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  This,  that  if  I  had  seen  an  order  signed  by  my  King  and 
had  defended  myself  instead  of  obeying  this  order,  I  should  be 
guilty  and  should  deserve  all  sorts  of  punishment ;  but  it  was 
not  I  but  some  stranger  whom  this  order  in  no  way  concerned. 
There  was  an  attempt  made  to  arrest  him  unjustly,  he  defended 
himself  too  well,  perhaps,  but  he  was  in  the  right." 

"  And  yet  "  —  murmured  Catharine. 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  "  was  the  order  to  arrest  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Catharine, "  and  his  Majesty  himself  signed  it." 

"  Was  it  an  order  to  arrest  any  one  found  in  my  place  in 
case  I  was  not  there  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Catharine. 

"  Well !  "  said  Henry,  "  unless  you  prove  that  I  was  conspir- 


344  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

ing  and  that  the  man  who  was  in  my  rooms  was  conspiring 
with  me,  this  man  is  innocent." 

Then  turning  to  Charles  IX. : 

"  Sire,"  continued  Henry,  "  I  shall  not  leave  the  Louvre.  At  a 
simple  word  from  your  Majesty  I  shall  even  be  ready  to 
enter  any  state  prison  you  may  be  pleased  to  suggest.  But 
while  waiting  for  the  proof  to  the  contrary  I  have  the  right  to 
call  myself  and  I  do  call  myself  the  very  faithful  servant,  sub- 
ject, and  brother  of  your  Majest}7." 

And  with  a  dignity  hitherto  unknown  in  him,  Henry  bowed 
to  Charles  and  withdrew. 

"  Bravo,  Henriot !  "  said  Charles,  when  the  King  of  Navarre 
had  left. 

"  Bravo !  because  he  has  defeated  us  ?  "  said  Catharine. 

"  Why  should  I  not  applaud  ?  When  we  fence  together 
and  he  touches  me  do  I  not  say  '  bravo '  ?  Mother,  you  are 
wrong  to  hate  this  boy  as  you  do." 

"  My  son,"  said  Catharine,  pressing  the  hand  of  Charles  IX., 
"  I  do  not  hate  him,  I  fear  him." 

"  Well,  you  are  wrong,  mother.  Henriot  is  my  friend,  and 
as  he  said,  had  he  been  conspiring  against  me  he  had  only  to 
let  the  wild  boar  alone." 

"  Yes,"  said  Catharine, "  so  that  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Anjou, 
his  personal  enemy,  might  be  King  of  France." 

"  Mother,  whatever  Henriot's  motive  in  saving  my  life,  the 
fact  is  that  he  saved  it,  and,  the  devil !  I  do  not  want  any 
harm  to  come  to  him.  As  to  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  well,  I  will 
talk  about  him  with  my  brother  D'Alengon,  to  whom  he 
belongs." 

This  was  Charles  IX.'s  way  of  dismissing  his  mother,  who 
withdrew  endeavoring  to  fix  her  suspicions.  On  account  of 
his  unimportance,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  did  not  answer  to  her 
needs. 

Returning  to  her  rooms,  Catharine  found  Marguerite  waiting 
for  her. 

"  Ah  !  ah  ! "  said  she,  "  is  it  you,  my  daughter  ?  I  sent  for 
you  last  evening." 

"  I  know  it,  madame,  but  I  had  gone  out." 

"  And  this  morning  ?  " 

"  This  morning,  madame,  I  have  come  to  tell  your  majesty 
that  you  are  about  to  do  a  great  wrong." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 


THE    GIRDLE    OF    THE    QUEEN  MOTHER.        345 

"You  are  going  to  have  Monsieur  le  Comte  de  la  Mole 
arrested." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  my  daughter,  I  am  going  to  have  no 
one  arrested.  It  is  the  King,  not  I,  who  gives  orders  for 
arrests." 

"  Let  us  not  quibble  over  the  words,  madame,  when  the  cir- 
cumstances are  serious.  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  going  to  be 
arrested,  is  he  not  ?  " 

"  A'ery  likely." 

"  Accused  of  having  been  found  in  the  chamber  of  the  King 
of  Navarre  last  night,  and  of  having  killed  two  guards  and 
wounded  Monsieur  de  Maurevel  ?  " 

"  Such  indeed  is  the  crime  they  impute  to  him." 

"  They  impute  it  to  him  wrongly,  madame,"  said  Marguerite  ; 
"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  not  guilty." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  not  guilty  !  "  said  Catharine,  giving 
a  start  of  joy,  and  thinking  that  what  Marguerite  was  about 
to  tell  her  would  throw  light  on  the  subject. 

"  No,"  went  on  Marguerite,  "  he  is  not  guilty,  he  cannot  be 
so,  for  he  was  not  in  the  king's  room." 

"  Where  was  he,  then  ?  " 

"  In  my  room,  madame." 

"  In  your  room  ?  " 

"  Yes,  in  my  room." 

At  this  avowal  from  a  daughter  of  France,  Catharine  felt 
like  hurling  a  withering  glance  at  Marguerite,  but  she  merely 
crossed  her  arms  on  her  lap. 

"  And,"  said  she  after  a  moment's  silence,  "  if  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole  is  arrested  and  questioned  "  — 

"  He  will  say  where  he  was  and  with  whom  he  was,  mother," 
replied  Marguerite,  although  she  felt  sure  of  the  contrary. 

"  Since  this  is  so,  you  are  right,  my  daughter ;  Monsieur  de 
la  Mole  must  not  be  arrested." 

Marguerite  shivered.  It  seemed  to  her  that  there  was  some- 
thing strange  and  terrible  in  the  way  her  mother  uttered  these 
words ;  but  she  had  nothing  to  say,  for  what  she  had  come  to 
ask  for  had  been  granted  her. 

"  But,"  said  Catharine,  "  if  it  was  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole 
who  was  in  the  king's  room,  it  was  some  one  else ! " 

Marguerite  was  silent. 

"  Do  you  know  who  it  was,  my  daughter  ?  "  said  Catharine. 

"  No,  mother,"  said  Marguerite,  in  an  unsteady  voice. 


346  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Come,  do  not  be  half  confidential." 

"  I  repeat,  madanae,  that  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Marguerite 
again,  growing  pale  in  spite  of  herself. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Catharine,  carelessly,  "  we  shall  find  out. 
Go  now,  my  daughter.  You  may  rest  assured  that  your 
mother  will  watch  over  your  honor." 

Marguerite  went  out. 

"  Ah  !  "  murmured  Catharine,  "  they  are  in  league.  Henry 
and  Marguerite  are  working  together.  While  the  wife  is 
silent,  the  husband  is  blind.  Ah,  you  are  very  clever,  my 
children,  and  you  think  yourselves  very  strong.  But  your 
strength  is  in  your  union  and  I  will  break  you,  one  after  the 
other.  Besides,  the  day  will  come  when  Maurevel  can  speak 
or  write,  utter  a  name,  or  spell  six  letters,  and  then  we  shall 
know  everything.  Yes,  but  in  the  meantime  the  guilty  shall 
be  in  safe-keeping.  The  best  thing  to  do  would  be  to  separate 
them  at  once." 

Thereupon  Catharine  set  out  for  the  apartments  of  her  son, 
whom  she  found  holding  a  conference  with  D'Alencon. 

"  Ah !  ah !  "  exclaimed  Charles  IX.,  frowning,  "  is  it  you, 
mother  ?  " 

"  Why  did  you  not  say  '  again '  ?  The  word  was  in  your 
mind,  Charles." 

"What  is  in  my  mind  belongs  to  me,  madame,"  said  the 
King,  in  the  rough  tone  he  sometimes  used  even  when  speaking 
to  Catharine.  "  What  do  you  want  of  me  ?  Tell  me  quickly." 

"  Well,  you  were  right,  my  son,"  said  Catharine  to  Charles, 
"  and  you,  D'Alenqon,  were  wrong." 

"  In  what  respect,  madame  ?  "  asked  both  princes. 

"  It  was  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  who  was  in  the  apart- 
ments of  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  Ah !  ah  !  "  cried  Francois,  growing  pale. 

"  Who  was  it,  then  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  We  do  not  know  yet,  but  we  shall  know  when  Maurevel 
is  able  to  speak.  So  let  us  drop  the  subject,  which  will  soon 
be  explained,  and  return  to  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  of  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  mother, 
since  he  was  not  in  the  rooms  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Catharine,  "  he  was  not  there,  but  he  was  with 
—  the  queen." 

"  With  the  queen  !  "  cried  Charles,  bursting  into  a  nervous 
1  augh. 


THE    GIRDLE    OF    THE    QUEEN   MOTHER.        347 

"With  the  queen,"  murmured  D'Alenqon,  turning  as  pale 
as  death. 

"  No,  no,"  said  Charles,  "  De  Guise  told  me  he  had  met  Mar- 
guerite's litter." 

"  Yes,"  said  Catharine,  "  she  has  a  house  in  town." 

"  In  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee  ! "  cried  the  King. 

"  Oh  !  oh  !  this  is  too  much,"  said  D'Alenqon,  driving  his  nails 
into  his  breast.  "  And  to  have  had  him  recommended  to  me  ! '; 

"  Ah  !  now  that  I  think  of  it ! "  said  the  King,  stopping  sud- 
denly, "  it  was  he  who  defended  himself  against  us  last  night, 
and  who  hurled  the  silver  bowl  at  my  head,  the  wretch ! " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  repeated  Franqois,  "  the  wretch  !  " 

"  You  are  right,  my  children,"  said  Catharine,  without  ap- 
pearing to  understand  the  feelings  which  incited  both  of  her 
sons  to  speak.  "  You  are  right,  for  a  single  indiscreet  act  of 
this  gentleman  might  cause  a  horrible  scandal,  and  ruin  a 
daughter  of  France.  One  moment  of  madness  would  be  enough 
for  that." 

"  Or  of  vanity,"  said  Francois. 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt,"  said  Charles.  "  And  yet  we  cannot 
bring  the  case  into  court  unless  Henriot  consents  to  appear  as 
plaintiff." 

"My  son,"  said  Catharine,  placing  her  hand  on  Charles's 
shoulder  in  such  a  way  as  to  call  the  King's  attention  to  what 
she  was  about  to  propose,  "  listen  to  what  I  say.  A  crime 
has  been  committed,  and  there  may  be  scandal.  But  this 
sort  of  offence  to  royalty  is  not  punished  by  judges  and  hang- 
men. If  you  were  simple  gentlemen,  I  should  have  nothing 
to  say  to  you,  for  you  are  both  brave,  but  you  are  princes, 
you  cannot  cross  swords  with  mere  country  squires.  Think 
how  you  can  avenge  yourselves  as  princes." 

"  The  devil !  "  cried  Charles,  "  you  are  right,  mother,  and  I 
will  consider  it." 

"  I  will  help  you,  brother,"  cried  Francois. 

"  And  I,"  said  Catharine,  unfastening  the  black  silk  girdle 
which  was  wound  three  times  about  her  waist,  and  the  two 
tassels  of  which  fell  to  her  knees.  "  I  will  retire,  but  I  leave 
you  this  to  represent  me." 

And  she  threw  the  girdle  at  the  feet  of  the  two  princes. 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  said  Charles,  "  I  understand." 

"  This  girdle  "  —  said  D'Alenqon,  picking  it  up. 

"  Is  punishment  and  silence,"  said  Catharine,  victorious ; 


348  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  but,"  she  added,  "  there  would  be  no  harm  in  mentioning  this 
to  Henry." 

She  withdrew. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  said  D'Alenqon ;  "  a  good  idea,  and  when 
Henry  knows  that  his  wife  has  betrayed  him  —  So,"  he 
added,  turning  to  the  King,  "you  will  adopt  our  mother's 
suggestion  ?  " 

"  In  every  detail,"  said  Charles,  not  doubting  but  that  he 
would  drive  a  thousand  daggers  into  D'Alenqon's  heart.  "  This 
will  annoy  Marguerite,  but  it  will  delight  Henriot." 

Then,  calling  one  of  his  guards,  he  ordered  Henry  sum- 
moned, but  thinking  better  of  it : 

"  No,  no,"  said  he,  "  I  will  go  for  him  myself.  Do  you, 
D'Alenqon,  inform  D'Anjou  and  De  Guise." 

Leaving  his  apartments,  he  ascended  the  private  stairway  to 
the  second  floor,  which  led  to  Henry's  chamber. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

PROJECTS    OF    REVEXGE. 

HENRY  took  advantage  of  the  respite  afforded  him  by  his 
well-sustained  examination  to  go  to  Madame  de  Sauve's.  He 
found  Orthon  completely  recovered  from  his  fainting-fit.  But 
Orthon  could  tell  him  nothing,  except  that  some  men  had 
broken  into  the  king's  rooms,  that  the  leader  had  struck  him 
with  the  handle  of  his  sword,  and  that  the  blow  had  stunned 
him.  No  one  had  troubled  about  Orthon.  Catharine  had  seen 
that  he  had  fainted  and  had  believed  him  to  be  dead. 

As  he  had  come  to  himself  between  the  departure  of  the 
queen  mother  and  the  arrival  of  the  captain  of  the  guards 
charged  with  clearing  up  the  room,  he  had  taken  refuge  in 
Madame  de  Sauve's  apartments. 

Henry  begged  Charlotte  to  keep  the  young  man  until  news 
came  from  De  Mouy,  who  would  not  fail  to  write  him  from  his 
hiding-place.  Then  he  would  send  Orthon  to  carry  his  answer 
to  De  Mouy,  and  instead  of  one  devoted  man  he  could  count 
on  two.  This  decided  on,  he  returned  to  his  rooms  and 
began  further  to  consider  matters,  walking  up  and  down  the 
while.  Suddenly  the  door  opened  and  the  King  appeared. 


PROJECTS    OF   REVENGE.  349 

"  Your  Majesty  ! "  cried  Henry,  rising  to  meet  him. 

"  In  person.  Really,  Henriot,  you  are  a  good  fellow,  and  I 
love  you  more  and  more." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  your  Majesty  overwhelms  me." 

"  You  have  but  one  fault,  Henriot." 

"  What  is  that  ?  The  one  for  which  your  Majesty  has 
already  reproached  me  several  times  ? "  said  Henry.  "  My 
preferring  to  hunt  animals  rather  than  birds  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  I  am  not  referring  to  that,  Henriot,  I  mean  some- 
thing else." 

"  If  your  Majesty  will  explain,"  said  Henry,  who  saw  from 
the  smile  on  Charles's  lips  that  the  King  was  in  a  good  humor, 
"  I  will  try  and  correct  it." 

"  It  is  this,  that  having  such  good  eyes,  you  see  no  better 
than  you  do." 

"  Bah ! "  said  Henry,  "  can  I  be  short-sighted,  then,  sire, 
without  knowing  it  ?  " 

"  Worse  than  that,  Henry,  worse  than  that,  you  are  blind." 

"  Ah,  indeed,"  said  the  Bearnais,  "  but  is  it  not  when  I 
shut  my  eyes  that  this  happens  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes  ! "  said  Charles,  "  you  are  perfectly  capable  of 
that.  At  all  events,  I  am  going  to  open  your  eyes." 

"  God  said,  '  Let  there  be  light,'  and  there  was  light.  Your 
Majesty  is  the  representative  of  God  on  earth.  Therefore  you 
can  do  here  what  God  does  in  heaven.  Proceed;  I  am  all 
attention." 

"  When  De  Guise  said  last  night  that  your  wife  had  just 
passed  escorted  by  a  gallant  you  would  not  believe  it." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  how  could  I  believe  that  the  sister  of 
your  Majesty  could  commit  an  act  of  such  imprudence  ?  " 

"  When  he  told  you  that  your  wife  had  gone  to  the  Rue 
Cloche  Percee,  you  would  not  believe  that  either !  " 

"  How  was  I  to  suppose,  sire,  that  a  daughter  of  France 
would  thus  publicly  risk  her  reputation  ?  " 

"  When  we  besieged  the  house  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee, 
and  when  I  had  a  silver  bowl  hurled  at  my  shoulder,  D'Anjou 
some  orange  marmalade  on  his  head,  and  De  Guise  a  haunch 
of  venison  in  the  face,  you  saw  two  women  and  two  men,  did 
you  not  ?  " 

"  I  saw  nothing,  sire.  Does  not  your  Majesty  remember 
that  I  was  questioning  the  janitor  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but,  by  Heaven,  I  saw  "  — 


350  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

11  Ah,  if  your  Majesty  saw  anything,  that  is  a  different 
thing." 

"  I  saw  two  men  and  two  women.  Well,  I  know  now  be- 
yond a  doubt  that  one  of  the  women  was  Margot,  and  that  one 
of  the  men  was  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

"  Well,"  said  Henry,  "  if  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  was  in  the 
Rue  Cloche  Percee,  he  was  not  here." 

"  No,"  said  Charles,  "  he  was  not  here.  But  never  mind 
who  was  here ;  we  shall  know  this  as  soon  as  that  imbecile  of 
a  Maurevel  is  able  to  speak  or  write.  The  point  is  that  Mar- 
got  is  deceiving  you." 

"  Bah  !  "  said  Henry ;  "  do  not  believe  such  nonsense." 

"  When  I  tell  you  that  you  are  more  than  near-sighted,  that 
you  are  blind,  the  devil !  will  you  believe  me  just  once,  stupid  ? 
I  tell  you  that  Margot  is  deceiving  you,  and  that  this  evening 
we  are  going  to  strangle  her  lover." 

Henry  gave  a  start  of  surprise,  and  looked  at  his  brother-in- 
law  in  amazement. 

"  Confess,  Henry,  that  at  heart  you  are  not  sorry.  Margot 
will  cry  out  like  a  thousand  Niobes  ;  but,  faith !  so  much 
the  worse.  I  do  not  want  you  to  be  made  a  fool  of.  If  Conde 
is  deceived  by  the  Due  d'Anjou,  I  will  wink;  Conde  is  my 
enemy.  But  you  are  my  brother  ;  more  than  this,  you  are  my 
friend." 

"But,  sire"- 

"  And  I  do  not  want  you  to  be  annoyed,  and  made  a  fool  of. 
You  have  been  a  quintain  long  enough  for  all  these  popinjays 
who  come  from  the  provinces  to  gather  our  crumbs,  and  court 
our  women.  Let  them  come,  or  rather  let  them  come  again. 
By  Heaven!  you  have  been  deceived,  Henriot, — that  might 
happen  to  any  one,  —  but  I  swear,  you  shall  have  shining 
satisfaction,  and  to-morrow  they  shall  say :  In  the  name  of  a 
thousand  devils  !  it  seems  that  King  Charles  loves  his  brother 
Henriot,  for  last  night  he  had  Monsieur  de  la  Mole's  tongue 
pulled  out  in  a  most  amusing  manner." 

"  Is  this  really  decided  on,  sire  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  Decided  on,  determined  on,  arranged.  The  coxcomb  will 
have  no  time  to  plead  his  cause.  The  expedition  will  consist 
of  myself,  D'Anjou,  D'AlenQon,  and  De  Guise  —  a  king,  two 
sons  of  France,  and  a  sovereign  prince,  without  counting  you." 

"  How  without  counting  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  are  to  be  one  of  us." 


PROJECTS    OF   REVENGE.  351 

"  I !  " 

"  Yes,  you !  you  shall  stab  the  fellow  in  a  royal  manner, 
while  the  rest  of  us  strangle  him." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  your  kindness  overpowers  me ;  but 
how  do  you  know  "  — 

"  Why,  the  devil !  it  seems  that  the  fellow  boasts  of  it.  He 
goes  sometimes  to  your  wife's  apartments  in  the  Louvre,  some- 
times to  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee.  They  compose  verses  together. 
I  should  like  to  see  the  stanzas  that  fop  writes.  Pastorales 
they  are.  They  discuss  Bion  and  Moschus,  and  read  first 
Daphne  and  then  Corydon.  Ah !  take  a  good  dagger  with 
you ! " 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  upon  reflection  "  — 

«  What  ?  " 

"  Your  Majesty  will  see  that  I  cannot  join  such  an  expedi- 
tion. It  seems  to  me  it  would  be  inconvenient  to  be  there  in 
person.  I  am  too  much  interested  in  the  affair  to  take  any 
calm  part  in  it.  Your  Majesty  will  avenge  the  honor  of  your 
sister  on  a  coxcomb  who  boasts  of  having  calumniated  my 
wife ;  nothing  is  simpler,  and  Marguerite,  whom  I  hold  to  be 
innocent,  sire,  is  in  no  way  dishonored.  But  were  I  of  the 
party,  it  would  be  a  different  thing.  My  co-operation  would 
convert  an  act  of  justice  into  an  act  of  revenge.  It  would  no 
longer  be  an  execution,  but  an  assassination.  My  wife  would 
no  longer  be  calumniated,  but  guilty." 

"By  Heaven,  Henry,  as  I  said  just  now  to  my  mother, 
you  speak  words  of  wisdom.  You  have  a  devilishly  quick 
mind." 

And  Charles  gazed  complacently  at  his  brother-in-law,  who 
bowed  in  return  for  the  compliment. 

"  Nevertheless,"  added  Charles,  "  you  are  willing  to  be  rid 
of  this  coxcomb,  are  you  not  ?  " 

"  Everything  your  Majesty  does  is  well  done,"  replied  the 
King  of  Navarre. 

"  Well,  well,  let  me  do  your  work  for  you.  You  may  be 
sure  it  shall  not  be  the  worse  for  it." 

"  I  leave  it  to  you,  sire,"  said  Henry. 

"  At  what  time  does  he  usually  go  to  your  wife's  room  ?  " 

"  About  nine  o'clock." 

"  And  he  leaves  ?  " 

"  Before  I  reach  there,  for  I  never  see  him." 

«  About "  — 


352  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  About  eleven." 

"  Very  well.  Come  this  evening  at  midnight.  The  deed 
will  be  done." 

Charles  pressed  Henry's  hand  cordially,  and  renewing  his 
vows  of  friendship,  left  the  apartment,  whistling  his  favorite 
hunting-song. 

"  Venire  saint  gris  !  "  said  the  Bearnais,  watching  Charles, 
"  either  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  or  the  queeen  mother  is 
responsible  for  all  this  deviltry.  Truly,  she  does  nothing  but 
invent  plots  to  make  trouble  between  my  wife  and  myself. 
Such  a  pleasant  household  !  " 

And  Henry  began  to  laugh  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of  laugh- 
ing when  no  one  could  see  or  hear  him. 

About  seven  o'clock  that  evening  a  handsome  young  man, 
who  had  just  taken  a  bath,  was  finishing  his  toilet  as  he  calmly 
moved  about  his  room,  humming  a  little  air,  before  a  mirror  in 
one  of  the  rooms  of  the  Louvre.  Near  him  another  young 
man  was  sleeping,  or  rather  lying  .on  a  bed. 

The  one  was  our  friend  La  Mole  who,  unconsciously,  had 
been  the  object  of  so  much  discussion  all  day  ;  the  other  was 
his  companion  Coconnas. 

The  great  storm  had  passed  over  him  without  his  having 
heard  the  rumble  of  the  thunder  or  seen  the  lightning.  He 
had  returned  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  had  stayed  in  bed 
until  three  in  the  afternoon,  half  asleep,  half  awake,  building 
castles  on  that  uncertain  sand  called  the  future.  Then  he  had 
risen,  had  spent  an  hour  at  a  fashionable  bath,  had  dined  at 
Maitre  La  Huriere's,  and  returning  to  the  Louvre  had  set  himself 
to  finish  his  toilet  before  making  his  usual  call  on  the  queen. 

"  And  you  say  you  have  dined  ?  "  asked  Coconnas,  yawning. 

"  Faith,  yes,  and  I  was  hungry  too." 

"  Why  did  you  not  take  me  with  you,  selfish  man  ?  " 

"Faith,  you  were  sleeping  so  soundly  that  I  did  not  like  to 
waken  you.  But  you  shall  sup  with  me  instead.  Be  sure  not 
to  forget  to  ask  Maitre  La  Huriere  for  some  of  that  light  wine 
from  Anjou,  which  arrived  a  few  days  ago." 

"  Is  it  good  ?  " 

"  I  merely  tell  you  to  ask  for  it." 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Where  am  I  going  ?  "  said  La  Mole,  surprised  that  his 
friend  should  ask  him  such  a  question ;  "  I  am  going  to  pay 
my  respects  to  the  queen." 


PROJECTS    OF   REVENGE.  353 

"  Well,"  said  Coconnas,  "  if  I  were  going  to  dine  in  our  little 
house  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee,  I  should  have  what  was  left 
over  from  yesterday.  There  is  a  certain  wine  of  Alicante 
which  is  most  refreshing." 

"  It  would  be  imprudent  to  go  there,  Annibal,  my  friend, 
after  what  occurred  last  right.  Besides,  did  we  not  promise 
that  we  would  not  go  back  there  alone  ?  Hand  me  my  cloak." 

"  That  is  so,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  had  forgotten.  But  where 
the  devil  is  your  cloak  ?  Ah  !  here  it  is." 

"No,  you  have  given  me  the  black  one,  and  it  is  the  red  one 
I  want.  The  queen  likes  me  better  in  that." 

"  Ah,  faith,"  said  Coconnas,  searching  everywhere,  "  look 
for  yourself,  I  cannot  find  it." 

"  What ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  you  cannot  find  it  ?  Why,  where 
can  it  be  ?  " 

"  You  probably  sold  it." 

"  Why,  I  have  six  crowns  left." 

"  Well,  take  mine." 

"  Ah,  yes,  —  a  yellow  cloak  with  a  green  doublet !  I  should 
look  like  a  popinjay  !  " 

"  Faith,  you  are  over-particular,  so  wear  what  you  please." 

Having  tossed  everything  topsy-turvy  in  his  search,  La 
Mole  was  beginning  to  abuse  the  thieves  who  managed  to 
enter  even  the  Louvre,  when  a  page  from  the  Due  d'Alenqon 
appeared  bringing  the  precious  cloak  in  question. 

"  Ah !  "  cried  La  Mole,  "  here  it  is  at  last ! " 

"  Is  this  your  cloak,  monsieur  ?  "  said  the  page.  "  Yes  ; 
monseigneur  sent  for  it  to  decide  a  wager  he  made  regarding  its 
color." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  I  asked  for  it  only  because  I  was 
going  out,  but  if  his  highness  desires  to  keep  it  longer  "  — 

"  No,  Monsieur  le  Comte,  he  is  through  with  it." 

The  page  left.     La  Mole  fastened  his  cloak. 

"  Well,"  he  went  on,  "  what  have  you  decided  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  Shall  I  find  you  here  this  evening  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  tell  ?  " 

"  Do  you  not  know  what  you  are  going  to  do  for  two  hours  ?  " 

"  I  know  well  enough  what  I  shall  do,  but  I  do  not  know 
what  I  may  be  ordered  to  do." 

"  By  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  ?  " 

"  No,  by  the  Due  d'AlenQon." 


354  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"As  a  matter  of  fact/'  said  La  Mole,  "I  have 'noticed  for 
some  time  that  he  has  been  friendly  to  you." 

"  Yes,''  said  Coconnas. 

"  Then  your  fortune  is  made,"  said  La  Mole,  laughing. 

"  Poof !  "  said  Coconnas.    "  He  is  only  a  younger  brother  !  " 

"  Oh ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  he  is  so  anxious  to  become  the 
elder  one  that  perhaps  Heaven  will  work  some  miracle  in  his 
favor." 

"  So  you  do  not  know  where  you  will  be  this  evening  ?  " 

«  No." 

"  Go  to  the  devil,  then,  —  I  mean  good-by  !  " 

"  That  La  Mole  is  a  terrible  fellow,"  thought  Coconnas, 
"  always  wanting  me  to  tell  him  where  I  am  going  to  be  !  as  if 
I  knew.  Besides,  I  believe  I  am  sleepy."  And  he  threw 
himself  on  the  bed  again. 

La  Mole  betook  himself  to  the  apartments  of  the  queen.  In 
the  corridor  he  met  the  Due  d'Alenqon. 

"  Ah  !  you  here,  Monsieur  la  Mole  ?  "  said  the  prince. 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  replied  La  Mole,  bowing  respectfully. 

"  Are  you  going  away  from  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"  No,  your  highness.  I  am  on  my  way  to  pay  my  respects 
to  her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  Navarre." 

"  About  what  time  shall  you  leave,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Has  monseigneur  any  orders  for  me  ?  " 

"  No,  not  at  present,  but  I  shall  want  to  speak  to  you  this 
evening." 

"  About  what  time  ?  " 

"  Between  nine  and  ten." 

"  I  shall  do  myself  the  honor  of  waiting  on  your  highness  at 
that  time." 

"  Very  good.     I  shall  depend  on  you." 

La  Mole  bowed  and  went  on. 

"  There  are  times,"  said  he,  "  when  the  duke  is  as  pale  as 
death.  It  is  very  strange." 

He  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  queen's  apartments. 
Gillonne,  who  apparently  was  expecting  him,  led  him  to  Mar- 
guerite. 

The  latter  was  occupied  with  some  work  which  seemed  to 
be  wearying  her  greatly.  A  paper  covered  with  notes  and  a 
volume  of  Isocrates  lay  before  her.  She  signed  to  La  Mole  to 
let  her  finish  a  paragraph.  Then,  in  a  few  moments,  she 
threw  down  her  pen  and  invited  the  young  man  to  sit  beside 


PROJECTS    OF   REVENGE.  355 

her.  La  Mole  was  radiant.  Never  had  he  been  so  handsome 
or  so  light-hearted. 

"  Greek ! "  said  he,  glancing  at  the  book.  "  A  speech  of 
Isocrates  !  What  are  you  doing  with  that  ?  Ah !  and  Latin  on 
this  sheet  of  paper!  Ad  Sarmatice  legatos  regince  Margaritce 
concio !  So  you  are  going  to  harangue  these  barbarians  in 
Latin  ?  " 

"  I  must,"  said  Marguerite,  "  since  they  do  not  speak 
French." 

"  But  how  can  you  write  the  answer  before  you  have  the 
speech  ?  " 

"  A  greater  coquette  than  I  would  make  you  believe  that 
this  was  impromptu  ;  but  I  cannot  deceive  you,  my  Hyacinth  e : 
I  was  told  the  speech  in  advance,  and  I  am  answering  it." 

"  Are  these  ambassadors  about  to  arrive  ?  " 

"  Better  still,  they  arrived  this  morning." 

"  Does  any  one  know  it  ?  " 

"  They  came  incognito.  Their  formal  arrival  is  planned  for 
to-morrow  afternoon,  I  believe,  and  you  will  see,"  said  Mar- 
guerite, with  a  little  satisfied  air  not  wholly  free  from  pedantry, 
"  that  what  I  have  done  this  evening  is  quite  Ciceronian.  But 
let  us  drop  these  important  matters  and  speak  of  what  has 
happened  to  you." 

"  To  me  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  What  has  happened  to  me  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  it  is  in  vain  you  pretend  to  be  brave,  you  look  pale." 

"  Then  it  is  from  having  slept  too  much.  I  am  humbly 
sorry  for  it." 

"  Come,  come,  let  us  not  play  the  braggart ;  I  know  every- 
thing." 

"  Have  the  kindness  to  inform  me,  then,  my  pearl,  for  I 
know  nothing." 

"  Well,  answer  me  frankly.  What  did  the  queen  mother 
ask  you  ?  " 

"  Had  she  something  to  say  to  me  ?  " 

"  What !     Have  you  not  seen  her  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Nor  King  Charles  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Nor  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  No." 


356  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  But  you  have  seen  the  Due  d'Alengon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  met  him  just  now  in  the  corridor." 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you  ?  " 

"  That  he  had  some  orders  to  give  me  between  nine  and  ten 
o'clock  this  evening." 

"  Nothing  else  ?  " 

"  Nothing  else." 

"  That  is  strange." 

"  But  what  is  strange  ?    Tell  me." 

"  That  nothing  has  been  said  to  you." 

"  What  has  happened  ?  " 

"  All  day,  unfortunately,  you  have  been  hanging  over  an 
abyss." 

"  I  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  Well,  listen.  It  seems  that  last  night  De  Mouy  was  sur- 
prised in  the  apartments  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  who  was  to 
have  been  arrested.  De  Mouy  killed  three  men,  and  escaped 
without  anything  about  him  having  been  recognized  except  the 
famous  red  cloak." 

«  Well  ?  " 

"Well,  this  red  cloak,  which  once  deceived  me,  has  thrown 
others  besides  myself  off  the  track.  You  have  been  suspected 
and  even  accused  of  this  triple  murder.  This  morning  they 
wanted  to  arrest,  judge,  and  perhaps  convict  you.  Who  knows  ? 
For  in  order  to  save  yourself  you  would  not  have  told  where 
you  were,  would  you  ?  " 

"  Tell  Avhere  I  was  ?  "  cried  La  Mole ;  "  compromise  you,  my 
beautiful  queen  ?  Oh !  you  are  right.  I  should  have  died 
singing,  to  spare  your  sweet  eyes  one  tear." 

"  Alas ! "  said  Marguerite,  "  my  sweet  eyes  Avould  have  been 
filled  with  many,  many  tears." 

"  But  what  caused  the  great  storm  to  subside  ?  " 

"  Guess." 

«  How  can  I  tell  ?  " 

"  There  was  only  one  way  to  prove  that  you  were  not  in  the 
king's  room." 

«  And  that  was  " 

"  To  tell  where  you  were." 

"  Well  ?  " 

«  Well,  I  told." 


"UNFORTUNATE   MAN!"   SHE   CRIED,    HOLDING   OUT   THE   PAPER. 


PROJECTS    OF   REVENGE.  357 

"  Whom  did  you  tell  ?  " 

"  My  mother." 

"  And  Queen  Catharine"  — 

"  Queen  Catharine  knows  that  I  love  you." 

"  Oh,  madame  !  after  having  done  so  much  for  me,  you  can 
demand  anything  from  your  servant.  Ah,  Marguerite,  truly, 
what  you  did  was  noble  and  beautiful.  My  life  is  yours,  Mar- 
guerite." 

"  I  hope  so,  for  I  have  snatched  it  from  those  who  wanted 
to  take  it  from  me.  But  now  you  are  saved." 

"  And  by  you !  "  cried  the  young  man ;  "  by  my  adored 
queen ! " 

At  that  instant  a  sharp  noise  made  them  start.  La  Mole 
sprang  back,  filled  with  a  vague  terror.  Marguerite  uttered  a 
cry,  and  stood  with  her  eyes  riveted  on  the  broken  glass  of  one 
of  the  window-panes. 

Through  this  window  a  stone  the  size  of  an  egg  had  entered 
and  lay  on  the  floor. 

La  Mole  saw  the  broken  pane,  and  realized  the  cause  of  the 
noise. 

"  Who  dared  to  do  this  ?  "  he  cried,  springing  to  the  window. 

"  One  moment,"  said  Marguerite.  "  It  seems  to  me  that 
something  is  tied  around  the  stone." 

"  Yes,"  said  La  Mole,  "  it  looks  like  a  piece  of  paper." 

Marguerite  went  to  the  strange  projectile  and  removed  the 
thin  sheet  which,  folded  like  a  narrow  band,  encircled  the 
middle  of  the  stone. 

The  paper  was  attached  to  a  cord,  which  came  through  the 
broken  window. 

Marguerite  unfolded  the  letter  and  read. 

"  Unfortunate  man  !  "  she  cried,  holding  out  the  paper  to  La 
Mole,  who  stood  as  pale  and  motionless  as  a  statue  of  Terror. 

With  a  heart  filled  with  gloomy  forebodings  he  read  these 
words : 

"  They  are  waiting  for  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  with  long 
swords,  in  the  corridor  leading  to  the  apartments  of  Monsieur 
d'Alenpon.  Perhaps  he  would  prefer  to  escape  by  this  window 
and  join  Monsieur  de  Mouy  at  Mantes  " — 

"  Well !  "  asked  La  Mole,  after  reading  it,  "  are  these  swords 
longer  than  mine  ?  '' 

"  No,  but  there  may  be  ten  against  one." 


358  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

11  Who  is  the  friend  who  has  sent  us  this  note  ?  "  asked  La 
Mole. 

Marguerite  took  it  from  the  young  man's  hand  and  looked 
at  it  attentively. 

"  The  King  of  Navarre's  handwriting !  "  she  cried.  "  If  he 
warns  us,  the  danger  is  great.  Flee,  La  Mole,  flee,  I  beg 
you." 

"  How  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

"  By  this  window.     Does  not  the  note  refer  to  it  ?  " 

"  Command,  my  queen,  and  I  will  leap  from  the  window  to 
obey  you,  if  I  broke  my  head  twenty  times  by  the  fall." 

"  Wait,  wait,"  said  Marguerite.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  there 
is  a  weight  attached  to  this  cord." 

"  Let  us  see,"  said  La  Mole. 

Both  drew  up  the  cord,  and  with  indescribable  joy  saw  a 
ladder  of  hair  and  silk  at  the  end  of  it. 

"  Ah  !  you  are  saved,"  cried  Marguerite. 

"  It  is  a  miracle  of  heaven  ! " 

"  No,  it  is  a  gift  from  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  But  suppose  it  were  a  snare  ?  "  said  La  Mole.  "  If  this 
ladder  were  to  break  under  me?  Madame,  did  you  not 
acknowledge  your  love  for  me  to-day  ?  " 

Marguerite,  whose  joy  had  dissipated  her  grief,  became  ashy 
pale. 

"  You  are  right,"  said  she,  "  that  is  possible." 

She  started  to  the  door. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  cried  La  Mole. 

"  To  find  out  if  they  are  really  waiting  for  you  in  the  corri- 
dor." 

"  Never !  never !     For  their  anger  to  fall  on  you  ?  " 

"  What  can  they  do  to  a  daughter  of  France  ?  As  a  woman 
and  a  royal  princess  I  am  doubly  inviolable." 

The  queen  uttered  these  words  with  so  much  dignity  that 
La  Mole  understood  she  ran  no  risk,  and  that  he  must  let  her 
do  as  she  wished. 

Marguerite  put  La  Mole  under  the  protection  of  Gillonne, 
leaving  to  him  to  decide,  according  to  circumstances,  whether 
to  run  or  await  her  return,  and  started  down  the  corridor.  A 
side  hall  led  to  the  library  as  well  as  to  several  reception- 
rooms,  and  at  the  end  led  to  the  apartments  of  the  King,  the 
queen  mother,  and  to  the  small  private  stairway  by  which  one 
reached  the  apartments  of  the  Due  d'Alen^on  and  Henry. 


PROJECTS    OF   REVENGE.  359 

Although  it  was  scarcely  nine  o'clock,  all  the  lights  were  ex- 
tinguished, and  the  corridor,  except  for  the  dim  glimmer  which 
came  from  the  side  hall,  was  quite  dark.  The  Queen  of  Na- 
varre advanced  boldly.  When  she  had  gone  about  a  third  of 
the  distance  she  heard  whispering  which  sounded  mysterious 
and  startling  from  an  evident  effort  made  to  suppress  it.  It 
ceased  almost  instantly,  as  if  by  order  from  some  superior, 
and  silence  was  restored.  The  light,  dim  as  it  was,  seemed  to 
grow  less.  Marguerite  walked  on  directly  into  the  face  of  the 
danger  if  danger  there  was.  To  all  appearances  she  was 
calm,  although  her  clinched  hands  indicated  a  violent  nervous 
tension.  As  she  approached,  the  intense  silence  increased, 
while  a  shadow  like  that  of  a  hand  obscured  the  wavering  and 
uncertain  light. 

At  the  point  where  the  transverse  hall  crossed  the  main 
corridor  a  man  sprang  in  front  of  the  queen,  uncovered  a  red 
candlestick,  and  cried  out : 

"  Here  he  is  ! " 

Marguerite  stood  face  to  face  with  her  brother  Charles. 
Behind  him,  a  silken  cord  in  hand,  was  the  Due  d'Alenqon. 
At  the  rear,  in  the  darkness,  stood  two  figures  side  by  side, 
reflecting  no  light  other  than  that  of  the  drawn  swords  which 
they  held  in  their  hands.  Marguerite  saw  everything  at  a 
glance.  Making  a  supreme  effort,  she  said  smilingly  to 
Charles  : 

"  You  mean,  here  she  is,  sire  !  " 

Charles  recoiled.     The  others  stood  motionless. 

"  You,  Margot !  "  said  he.  "  Where  are  you  going  at  this 
hour  ?  " 

"  At  this  hour ! "  said  Marguerite.     "  Is  it  so  late  ?  " 

"  I  ask  where  you  are  going  ?  " 

"  To  find  a  book  of  Cicero's  speeches,  which  I  think  I  left  at 
our  mother's." 

"  Without  a  light  ?  " 

"  I  supposed  the  corridor  was  lighted." 

"  Do  you  come  from  your  own  apartments  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  What  are  you  doing  this  evening  ?  " 

"  Preparing  my  address  for  the  Polish  ambassadors.  Is 
there  not  a  council  to-morrow  ?  and  does  not  each  one  have  to 
submit  his  address  to  your  Majesty  ?  " 

"  Have  you  not  some  one  helping  you  with  this  work  ?  " 


360  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

Marguerite  summoned  all  her  strength. 

"  Yes,  brother,"  said  she,  "  Monsieur  de  la  Mole.  He  is 
very  learned." 

"  So  much  so,"  said  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  "  that  I  asked  him 
when  he  had  finished  with  you,  sister,  to  come  and  help  me, 
for  I  am  not  as  clever  as  you  are." 

"  And  were  you  waiting  for  him  ? "  asked  Marguerite  as 
naturally  as  possible. 

"  Yes,"  said  D'Alenqon,  impatiently. 

"  Then,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  will  send  him  to  you,  brother, 
for  we  have  finished  my  work." 

"  But  your  book  ?  "•  said  Charles. 

"  I  will  have  Gillonne  get  it." 

The  two  brothers  exchanged  a  sign. 

"  Go,"  said  Charles,  "  and  we  will  continue  our  round." 

"  Your  round  !  "  said  Marguerite ;  "  whom  are  you  looking 
for  ?  " 

"  The  little  red  man,"  said  Charles.  "  Do  you  not  know 
that  there  is  a  little  red  man  who  is  said  to  haunt  the  old 
Louvre  ?  My  brother  D'Alenqon  claims  to  have  seen  him, 
and  we  are  looking  for  him." 

"  Good  luck  to  you,"  said  Marguerite,  and  she  turned  round. 
Glancing  behind  her,  she  saw  the  four  figures  gather  close  to 
the  wall  as  if  in  conference.  In  an  instant  she  had  reached 
her  own  door. 

"  Open,  Gillonne,"  said  she,  "  open." 

Gillonne  obeyed. 

Marguerite  sprang  into  the  room  and  found  La  Mole  wait- 
ing for  her,  calm  and  quiet,  but  with  drawn  sword. 

"  Flee,"  said  she,  "  flee.  Do  not  lose  a  second.  They  are 
waiting  for  you  in  the  corridor  to  kill  you." 

"  You  command  me  to  do  this  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 

"I  command  it.  We  must  part  in  order  to  see  each  other 
again." 

While  Marguerite  had  been  away  La  Mole  had  made  sure 
of  the  ladder  at  the  window.  He  now  stepped  out,  but  before 
placing  his  foot  on  the  first  round  he  tenderly  kissed  the 
queen's  hand. 

"  If  the  ladder  is  a  trap  and  I  should  perish,  Marguerite, 
remember  your  promise." 

"  It  was  not  a  promise,  La  Mole,  but  an  oath.  Fear  noth- 
ing. Adieu ! " 


PROJECTS    OF   REVENGE.  361 

And  La  Mole,  thus  encouraged,  let  himself  slip  down  the 
ladder.  At  the  same  instant  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 

Marguerite  watched  La  Mole's  perilous  descent  and  did  not 
turn  away  from  the  window  until  she  was  sure  he  had  reached 
the  ground  in  safety. 

"  Madame,"  said  Gillonne,  "  madame ! " 

"  Well  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  The  King  is  knocking  at  the  door." 

"  Open  it." 

Gillonne  did  so. 

The  four  princes,  impatient  at  waiting,  no  doubt,  stood  on 
the  threshold. 

Charles  entered. 

Marguerite  came  forward,  a  smile  on  her  lips. 

The  King  cast  a  rapid  glance  around. 

"  Whom  are  you  looking  for,  brother  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  Why,"  said  Charles,  "  I  am  looking  —  I  am  looking  —  why, 
the  devil !  I  am  looking  for  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  !  " 

"  Yes ;  where  is  he  ?  " 

Marguerite  took  her  brother  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to 
the  window. 

Just  then  two  horsemen  were  seen  galloping  away,  around 
the  wooden  tower.  One  of  them  unfastened  his  white  satin 
scarf  and  waved  it  in  the  darkness,  as  a  sign  of  adieu.  The 
two  men  were  La  Mole  and  Orthon. 

Marguerite  pointed  them  out  to  Charles. 

"  Well !  "  said  the  King,  "  what  does  this  mean  ?  " 

"  It  means,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  that  Monsieur  le  Due 
d' Alenqon  may  put  his  cord  back  into  his  pocket,  and  that  Mes- 
sieurs d'Anjou  and  de  Guise  may  sheathe  their  swords,  for 
Monsieur  de  la  Mole  will  not  pass  through  the  corridor  again 
to-night." 


362  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 


CHAPTER   XL. 

THE    ATRIDES. 

SINCE  his  return  to  Paris,  Henry  of  Anjou  had  not  seen  his 
mother  Catharine  alone,  and,  as  every  one  knows,  he  was  her 
favorite  son. 

This  visit  was  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  etiquette,  nor  the 
carrying  out  of  a  painful  ceremony,  but  the  accomplishment  of 
a  very  sweet  duty  for  this  son  who,  if  he  did  not  love  his 
mother,  was  at  least  sure  of  being  tenderly  loved  by  her. 

Catharine  loved  this  son  best  either  because  of  his  bravery, 
his  beauty, — for  besides  the  mother,  there  was  the  woman  in 
Catharine, —  or  because,  according  to  some  scandalous  chroni- 
cles, Henry  of  Anjou  reminded  the  Florentine  of  a  certain 
happy  epoch  of  secret  love. 

Catharine  alone  knew  of  the  return  of  the  Due  d' Anjou  to 
Paris.  Charles  IX.  would  have  been  ignorant  of  it  had  not 
chance  led  him  to  the  Hotel  de  Conde  just  as  his  brother  was 
leaving  it.  Charles  had  not  expected  him  until  the  following 
day,  and  Henry  of  Anjou  had  hoped  to  conceal  from  him  the 
two  motives  which  had  hastened  his  arrival  by  a  day,  namely, 
his  visit  to  the  beautiful  Marie  of  Cleves,  princess  of  Conde,  and 
his  conference  with  the  Polish  ambassadors. 

It  was  this  last  reason,  of  the  object  of  which  Charles  was 
uncertain,  which  the  Due  d' Anjou  had  to  explain  to  his  mother. 
And  the  reader,  ignorant  on  this  point  as  was  Henry  of  Navarre, 
will  profit  by  the  explanation. 

When  the  Due  d' Anjou,  so  long  expected,  entered  his 
mother's  rooms,  Catharine,  usually  so  cold  and  formal,  and 
who  since  the  departure  of  her  favorite  son  had  embraced  with 
effusion  no  one  but  Coligny,  who  was  to  be  assassinated  the 
following  day,  opened  her  arms  to  the  child  of  her  love,  and 
pressed  him  to  her  heart  with  a  burst  of  maternal  affection 
most  surprising  in  a  heart  already  long  grown  cold. 

Then  pushing  him  from  her  she  gazed  at  him  and  again 
drew  him  into  her  arms. 

"  Ah,  niadame,"  said  he,  "  since  Heaven  grants  me  the 
privilege  of  embracing  my  mother  in  private,  console  me,  for  I 
am  the  most  wretched  man  alive." 


THE  ATRIDES.  363 

"  Oh,  ray  God  !  my  beloved  child,"  cried  Catharine,  "  what 
has  happened  to  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing  which  you  do  not  know,  mother.  I  am  in  love. 
I  am  loved ;  but  it  is  this  very  love  which  is  the  cause  of  my 
unhappiness." 

"  Tell  me  about  it,  my  son,"  said  Catharine. 

"  Well,  mother,  —  these  ambassadors,  —  this  departure  "  — 

"  Yes,"  said  Catharine,  "  the  ambassadors  have  arrived  ;  the 
departure  is  near  at  hand." 

"  It  need  not  be  near  at  hand,  mother,  but  my  brother 
hastens  it.  He  detests  me.  I  am  in  his  way,  and  he  wants  to 
rid  himself  of  me." 

Catharine  smiled. 

"  By  giving  you  a  throne,  poor,  unhappy  crowned  head !  " 

"  Oh,  no,  mother,"  said  Henry  in  agony,  "  I  do  not  wish  to 
go  away.  I,  a  son  of  France,  brought  up  in  the  refinement  of 
polite  society,  near  the  best  of  mothers,  loved  by  one  of  the 
dearest  women  in  the  world,  must  I  go  among  snows,  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  to  die  by  inches  among  those  rough  people 
who  are  intoxicated  from  morning  until  night,  and  who  gauge 
the  capacity  of  their  king  by  that  of  a  cask,  according  to  what 
he  can  hold  ?  No,  mother,  I  do  not  want  to  go ;  I  should 
die  ! " 

"  Come,  Henry,"  said  Catharine,  pressing  her  son's  hands, 
"  come,  is  that  the  real  reason  ?  " 

Henry's  eyes  fell,  as  though  even  to  his  mother  he  did  not 
dare  to  confess  what  was  in  his  heart. 

"  Is  there  no  other  reason  ?  "  asked  Catharine  ;  "  less  roman- 
tic, but  more  rational,  more  political  ?  " 

"  Mother,  it  is  not  my  fault  if  this  thought  comes  to  me,  and 
takes  stronger  hold  of  me,  perhaps,  than  it  should ;  but  did 
not  you  yourself  tell  me  that  the  horoscope  of  my  brother 
Charles  prophesied  that  he  would  die  young  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Catharine,  "  but  a  horoscope  may  lie,  my  son. 
Indeed,  I  myself  hope  that  all  horoscopes  are  not  true." 

"  But  his  horoscope  said  this,  did  it  not  ?  " 

"  His  horoscope  spoke  of  a  quarter  of  a  century ;  but  it  did 
not  say  whether  it  referred  to  his  life  or  his  reign." 

"Well,  mother,  bring  it  about  so  that  I  can  stay.  My 
brother  is  almost  twenty-four.  In  one  year  the  question  will 
be  settled." 

Catharine  pondered  deeply. 


364  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Yes,"  said  she ;  "  it  would  certainly  be  better  if  it  could 
be  so  arranged." 

"  Oh,  imagine  my  despair,  mother,"  cried  Henry,  "  if  I  were 
to  exchange  the  crown  of  France  for  that  of  Poland  !  My 
being  tormented  there  with  the  idea  that  I  might  be  reigning 
in  the  Louvre  in  the  midst  of  this  elegant  and  lettered  court, 
near  the  best  mother  in  the  world,  whose  advice  would  spare 
me  half  my  work  and  fatigue,  who,  accustomed  to  bearing, 
with  my  father,  a  portion  of  the  burden  of  the  State,  would 
like  to  bear  it  with  me  too  !  Ah,  mother,  I  should  have  been 
a  great  king  !  " 

"  There  !  there !  dear  child,"  said  Catharine,  to  whom  this 
outlook  had  always  been  a  very  sweet  hope,  "  there  !  do  not 
despair.  Have  you  thought  of  any  way  of  arranging  the 
matter  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  certainly,  and  that  is  why  I  came  back  two  or 
three  days  before  I  was  expected,  letting  my  brother  Charles 
suppose  that  it  was  on  account  of  Madame  de  Conde.  Then  i 
have  been  with  De  Lasco,  the  chief  ambassador.  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  him,  andxlid  all  I  could  in  that  first  interview  to 
make  him  hate  me.  I  hope  I  have  succeeded." 

"Ah,  my  dear  child,"  said  Catharine,  "that  is  wrong.  You 
must  place  the  interest  of  France  above  your  petty  dislikes.'' 

"Mother,  in  case  any  accident  happened  to  my  brother, 
would  it  be  to  the  interest  of  France  for  the  Due  d'Alenqon  or 
the  King  of  Navarre  to  reign  ?  " 

"  Oh !  the  King  of  Navarre,  never,  never ! "  murmured 
Catharine,  letting  anxiety  cover  her  face  with  that  veil  of  care 
which  spread  over  it  every  time  this  question  arose. 

"  Faith,"  continued  Henry,  "  my  brother  D'Alenqon  is  not 
worth  much  more,  and  is  no  fonder  of  you." 

"  Well,"  said  Catharine,  "  what  did  Lasco  say  ?  " 

"  Even  Lasco  hesitated  when  I  urged  him  to  seek  an  audi- 
ence. Oh,  if  he  could  write  to  Poland  and  annul  this  elec- 
tion !  " 

"  Folly,  my  son,  madness  !  What  a  Diet  has  consecrated  is 
sacred." 

"  But,  mother,  could  not  these  Poles  be  prevailed  on  to 
accept  my  brother  in  my  stead  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,"  said  Catharine. 

"Never  mind,  try,  make  the  attempt,  speak  to  the  King, 
mother.  Ascribe  everything  to  my  love  for  Madame  de 


THE  ATRIDES.  365 

Conde* ;  say  that  I  am  mad  over  her,  that  I  am  losing  my  mind. 
He  saw  me  coming  out  of  the  prince's  hotel  with  De  Guise, 
who  did  everything  for  me  a  friend  could  do." 

"  Yes,  in  order  to  help  the  League.  You  do  not  see  this,  but 
I  do." 

"  Yes,  mother,  yes  ;  but  meanwhile  I  am  making  use  of  him. 
Should  we  not  be  glad  when  a  man  serves  us  while  serving 
himself  ?  " 

"  And  what  did  the  King  say  when  he  met  you  ?  " 

"  He  apparently  believed  what  I  told  him,  that  love  alone 
had  brought  me  back  to  Paris." 

"  But  did  he  ask  you  what  you  did  the  rest  of  the  night  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mother  ;  but  I  had  supper  at  Nantouillet's,  where  I 
made  a  frightful  riot,  so  that  the  report  of  it  might  get  abroad 
and  deceive  the  King  as  to  where  I  was." 

"  Then  he  is  ignorant  of  your  visit  to  Lasco  ?  " 

"  Absolutely." 

"  Good,  so  much  the  better.  I  will  try  to  influence  him  in 
your  favor,  dear  child.  But  you  know  no  influence  makes  any 
impression  on  his  coarse  nature." 

"  Oh,  mother,  mother,  what  happiness  if  I  could  stay  !  I 
would  love  you  even  more  than  I  do  now  if  that  were  possible  ! " 

"  If  you  stay  you  will  be  sent  to  war." 

"  Oh,  never  mind  !  if  only  I  do  not  have  to  leave  France." 

"  You  will  be  killed." 

"  Mother,  one  does  not  die  from  blows  ;  one  dies  from  grief, 
from  meanness.  But  Charles  will  not  let  me  remain  ;  he  hates 
me." 

"  He  is  jealous  of  you,  my  beautiful  conqueror,  that  is  well 
known.  Why  are  you  so  brave  and  so  fortunate  ?  Why,  at 
scarcely  twenty  years  of  age,  have  you  won  battles  like  Alex- 
ander or  Csesar  ?  But,  in  the  meantime,  do  not  let  your  wishes 
be  known  to  any  one  ;  pretend  to  be  resigned,  pay  your  court, 
to  the  King.  To-day  there  is  a  private  council  to  read  and 
discuss  the  speeches  which  are  to  be  made  at  the  ceremony. 
Act  like  the  King  of  Poland,  and  leave  the  rest  to  me.  By  the 
way,  how  about  your  expedition  of  last  night  ?  " 

"  It  failed,  mother.  The  gallant  was  warned  and  escaped 
by  the  window." 

"  Well,"  said  Catharine,  "  some  day  I  shall  know  who  this 
evil  genius  is  who  upsets  all  my  plans  in  this  way.  Meanwhile 
I  suspect  and  —  let  him  beware  ! " 


366  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

"  So,  mother  "  —  said  the  Due  d'Anjou. 

"  Let  me  manage  this  affair." 

She  kissed  Henry  tenderly  on  his  eyes  and  pushed  him  from 
the  room. 

Before  long  the  princes  of  her  household  arrived  at  the 
rooms  of  the  queen.  Charles  was  in  a  good  humor,  for  the 
cleverness  of  his  sister  Margot  had  pleased  rather  than  vexed 
him.  Moreover,  he  had  nothing  against  La  Mole,  and  he  had 
waited  for  him  somewhat  eagerly  in  the  corridor  merely  because 
it  was  a  kind  of  hunt. 

D'Alenqon,  on  the  contrary,  was  greatly  preoccupied.  The 
repulsion  he  had  always  felt  for  La  Mole  had  turned  into  hate 
the  instant  he  knew  that  La  Mole  was  loved  by  his  sister. 

Marguerite  possessed  both  a  dreamy  mind  and  a  quick  eye. 
She  had  to  remember  as  well  as  to  watch. 

The  Polish  deputies  had  sent  a  copy  of  the  speeches  which 
they  were  to  make. 

Marguerite,  to  whom  no  more  mention  had  been  made  of  the 
affair  of  the  previous  evening  than  as  if  it  had  never  occurred, 
read  the  speeches,  and,  except  Charles,  every  one  discussed 
what  he  would  answer.  Charles  let  Marguerite  reply  as  she 
pleased.  As  far  as  D'AlenQon  was  concerned  he  was  very  par- 
ticular as  to  the  choice  of  terms ;  but  as  to  the  discourse  of 
Henry  of  Anjou  he  seemed  determined  to  attack  it,  and  made 
numerous  corrections. 

This  council,  without  being  in  any  way  decisive,  had  greatly 
embittered  the  feelings  of  those  present. 

Henry  of  Anjou,  who  had  to  rewrite  nearly  all  his  discourse, 
withdrew  to  begin  the  task. 

Marguerite,  who  had  not  heard  of  the  King  of  Navarre  since 
the  injury  he  had  given  to  her  window-pane,  returned  to  her 
rooms,  hoping  to  find  him  there. 

D'Alenqon,  who  had  read  hesitation  in  the  eyes  of  his 
brother  of  Anjou,  and  who  had  surprised  a  meaning  glance 
between  him  and  his  mother,  retired  to  ponder  on  what  he 
regarded  as  a  fresh  plot.  Charles  was  about  to  go  to  his 
workshop  to  finish  a  boar-spear  he  was  making  for  himself 
when  Catharine  stopped  him. 

The  King,  who  suspected  that  he  was  to  meet  some  oppo- 
sition to  his  will,  paused  and  looked  at  his  mother  closely. 

«  Well,"  he  said,  «  what  now  ?  " 

"  A  final  word,  sire,  which  we  forgot,  and  yet  it  is  of  much 


THE  ATRIDES.  367 

importance :  what  day  shall  we  decide  on  for  the  public  re- 
ception ?  " 

"  Ah,  that  is  true,"  said  the  King,  seating  himself  again. 
"  Well,  what  day  would  suit  you  ?  " 

"  I  thought,"  replied  Catharine,  "  from  your  Majesty's  si- 
lence and  apparent  forgetfulness,  that  there  was  some  deep- 
laid  plan.'' 

"  No,"  said  Charles  ;  "  why  so,  mother  ?  " 

"  Because,"  added  Catharine,  very  gently,  "  it  seems  to  me, 
my  son,  that  these  Poles  should  not  see  us  so  eager  after  their 
crown." 

"  On  the  contrary,  mother,"  said  Charles,  "  it  is  they  who 
are  in  haste.  They  have  come  from  Varsovia  by  forced 
marches.  Honor  for  honor,  courtesy  for  courtesy." 

"  Your  Majesty  may  be  right  in  one  sense  ;  I  am  not  curi- 
ous. So  your  idea  is  that  the  public  reception  should  be  held 
soon  ?  " 

"  Faith,  yes,  mother  ;  is  this  not  your  idea  too  ?  " 

"  You  know  that  my  ideas  are  only  such  as  can  further 
your  glory.  I  will  tell  you,  therefore,  that  by  this  haste  I  fear 
you  will  be  accused  of  profiting  very  quickly  by  this  oppor- 
tunity to  relieve  the  house  of  France  of  the  burdens  your 
brother  imposes  on  it,  but  which  he  certainly  returns  in  glory 
and  devotion." 

"  Mother,"  said  Charles,  "  on  his  departure  from  France  I 
will  endow  rny  brother  so  richly  that  no  one  will  ever  dare  to 
think  what  you  fear  may  be  said." 

"  Well,"  said  Catharine,  "  I  surrender,  since  you  have  such 
a  ready  reply  to  each  of  my  objections.  But  to  receive  this 
warlike  people,  who  judge  of  the  power  of  the  states  by  ex- 
terior signs,  you  must  have  a  considerable  array  of  troops, 
and  I  do  not  think  there  are  enough  yet  assembled  in  the  Isle 
de  France." 

"  Pardon  me,  mother.  I  have  foreseen  this  event,  and  am 
prepared  for  it.  I  have  recalled  two  battalions  from  Nor- 
mandy and  one  from  Guyenne ;  my  company  of  archers  arrived 
yesterday  from  Brittany  ;  the  light  horse,  scattered  throughout 
Lorraine,  will  be  in  Paris  in  the  course  of  the  day ;  and  while 
it  is  supposed  that  I  have  scarcely  four  regiments  at  my  dis- 
position, I  have  twenty  thousand  men  ready  to  appear." 

"  Ah,  ah !  "  said  Catharine,  surprised.  "  In  that  case  only 
one  thing  is  lacking,  but  that  can  be  procured." 


368  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"What  is  that?" 

"  Money.  I  believe  that  you  are  not  furnished  with  an  over- 
supply." 

"  On  the  contrary,  madame,  on  the  contrary,"  said  Charles 
IX.,  "  I  have  fourteen  hundred  thousand  crowns  in  the  Bas- 
tille ;  my  private  estates  have  yielded  me  during  the  last  few 
days  eight  hundred  thousand  crowns,  which  I  have  put  in  my 
cellar  in  the  Louvre,  and  in  case  of  need  Nantouillet  holds 
three  hundred  thousand  crowns  at  my  disposal." 

Catharine  shivered.  Until  then  she  had  known  Charles  to 
be  violent  and  passionate,  but  never  provident. 

"Well,"  said  she,  "your  Majesty  thinks  of  everything. 
That  is  fine  ;  and  provided  the  tailors,  the  embroiderers,  and 
the  jewellers  make  haste,  your  Majesty  will  be  in  a  position  to 
hold  this  audience  within  six  weeks." 

"  Six  weeks  ! "  exclaimed  Charles.  "  Mother,  the  tailors, 
the  embroiderers,  and  the  jewellers  have  been  at  work  ever 
since  we  heard  of  my  brother's  nomination.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  everything  could  be  ready  to-day,  but,  at  the  latest,  it  will 
take  only  three  or  four  days." 

"  Oh  !  "  murmured  Catharine  ;  "  you  are  in  greater  haste 
than  I  supposed,  my  son." 

"  Honor  for  honor,  I  told  you." 

"Well,  is  it  this  honor  done  to  the  house  of  France  which 
flatters  you  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"And  is  your  chief  desire  to  see  a  son  of  France  on  the 
throne  of  Poland  ?  " 

"Exactly." 

"  Then  it  is  the  event,  the  fact,  and  not  the  man,  which  is 
of  interest  to  you,  and  whoever  reigns  there  " 

"  No,  no,  mother,  by  Heaven !  Let  us  keep  to  the  point ! 
The  Poles  have  made  a  good  choice.  They  are  a  skilful  and 
strong  people  !  A  military  people,  a  nation  of  soldiers,  they 
choose  a  captain  for  their  ruler.  That  is  logical,  plague  it ! 
D'Anjou  is  just  the  man  for  them.  The  hero  of  Jarnac  and 
Montcontour  fits  them  like  a  glove.  Whom  would  you  have 
me  send  them  ?  D'Alenqon  ?  a  coward !  He  would  give  them 
a  fine  idea  of  the  Valois  !  —  D'Alemjon  !  He  would  run  at  the 
first  bullet  that  whistled  by  his  ears,  while  Henry  of  Aujou  is 
a  fighter.  Yes  !  his  sword  always  in  his  hand,  he  is  ever 
pushing  forward,  on  foot  or  horseback  !  —  forward  !  thrust ! 


THE  ATRIDES.  369 

overpower !  kill !  Ah  !  my  brother  of  Anjou  is  a  man,  a 
valiant  soldier,  who  will  lead  them  to  battle  from  morning 
until  night,  from  one  year's  end  to  the  next.  He  is  not  a  hard 
drinker,  it  is  true  ;  but  he  will  kill  in  cold  blood.  That  is  all. 
This  dear  Henry  will  be  in  his  element ;  there  !  quick  !  quick ! 
to  battle  !  Sound  the  trumpet  and  the  drum  !  Long  live  the 
king !  Long  live  the  conqueror !  Long  live  the  general ! 
He  will  be  proclaimed  imperator  three  times  a  year.  That 
will  be  fine  for  the  house  of  France,  and  for  the  honor  of  the 
Yalois ;  he  may  be  killed,  but,  by  Heaven,  it  will  be  a  glo- 
rious death  ! " 

Catharine  shuddered.     Her  eyes  flashed  fire. 

"  Say  that  you  wish  to  send  Henry  of  Anjou  away  from  you," 
she  cried,  "  say  that  you  do  not  love  your  brother  ! " 

"  Ah !  ah  !  ah ! "  cried  Charles,  bursting  into  a  nervous 
laugh,  "  you  have  guessed,  have  you,  that  I  want  to  send  him 
away  ?  You  have  guessed  that  I  do  not  love  him  ?  And  when 
did  you  reach  this  conclusion  ?  Come !  Love  my  brother ! 
Why  should  I  love  him  ?  Ah !  ah !  ah  !  Do  you  want  to 
make  me  laugh  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  his  pale  cheeks  grew  flushed  with  a  feverish 
glow. 

"  Does  he  love  me  ?  Do  you  love  me  ?  Has  any  one,  ex- 
cept my  dogs,  and  Marie  Touchet,  and  my  nurse,  ever  loved 
me  ?  No  !  I  do  not  love  my  brother,  I  love  only  myself.  Do 
you  hear  ?  And  I  shall  not  prevent  my  brother  from  doing  as 
I  do." 

"  Sire,"  said  Catharine,  growing  excited  on  her  part,  "  since 
you  have  opened  your  heart  to  me  I  must  open  mine  to  you. 
You  are  acting  like  a  weak  king,  like  an  ill-advised  monarch  ; 
you  are  sending  away  your  second  brother,  the  natural  support 
of  the  throne,  who  is  in  every  way  worthy  to  succeed  you  if 
any  accident  happened,  in  which  case  your  crown  would  be  left 
in  jeopardy.  As  you  said,  D'Alenqon  is  young,  incapable, 
weak,  more  than  weak,  cowardly !  And  the  Bearnais  rises  up 
in  the  background,  you  understand  ?  " 

"  Well,  the  devil !  "  exclaimed  Charles,  "  what  does  it  matter 
to  me  what  happens  when  I  am  dead  ?  The  Bearnais  rises 
behind  my  brother,  you  say  !  By  Heaven  !  so  much  the  better  ! 
I  said  that  I  loved  no  one  —  I  was  mistaken,  I  love  Henriot. 
Yes,  I  love  this  good  Henriot.  He  has  a  frank  manner,  a 
warm  handshake,  while  I  see  nothing  but  false  looks  around 


370  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

me,  and  touch  only  icy  hands.  He  is  incapable  of  treason 
towards  me,  I  swear.  Besides,  I  owe  him  amends,  poor  boy  ! 
His  mother  was  poisoned  by  some  members  of  my  family,  I 
am  told.  Moreover,  I  am  well.  But  if  I  were  to  be  taken  ill, 
I  would  call  him,  I  should  want  him  to  stay  with  me,  I  would 
take  nothing  except  from  him,  and  when  I  died  I  would  make 
him  King  of  France  and  of  Navarre.  And  by  Heaven  !  in- 
stead of  laughing  at  my  death  as  my  brothers  would  do,  he 
Avould  weep,  or  at  least  he  would  pretend  to  weep." 

Had  a  thunderbolt  fallen  at  Catharine's  feet  she  would  have 
been  less  startled  than  at  these  words.  She  stood  speech- 
less, gazing  at  Charles  with  haggard  eyes.  Then  at  the  end  of 
a  few  moments  : 

"  Henry  of  Navarre  !  "  she  cried,  "  Henry  of  Navarre  King 
of  Prance  to  the  detriment  of  my  children  !  Ah  !  Holy  Virgin  ! 
we  shall  see !  So  this  is  why  you  wish  to  send  away  my 
son  ?  " 

"  Your  son  —  and  what  am  I,  then  ?  the  son  of  a  wolf,  like 
Romulus  ? "  cried  Charles,  trembling  with  anger,  his  eyes 
shining  as  though  they  were  on  fire.  "  Your  son,  you  are  right ; 
the  King  of  France  is  not  your  son,  the  King  of  Francfe  has  no 
brothers,  the  King  of  France  has  no  mother,  the  King  of 
France  has  only  subjects.  The  King  of  France  has  no  need 
of  feelings,  he  has  wishes.  He  can  get  on  without  being  loved, 
but  he  shall  be  obeyed." 

"  Sire,  you  have  misunderstood  my  words.  I  called  my  son 
the  one  who  was  going  to  leave  me.  I  love  him  better  just 
now  because  just  now  he  is  the  one  I  am  most  afraid  I  shall 
lose.  Is  it  a  crime  for  a  mother  to  wish  that  her  child  should 
not  leave  her  ?  " 

"  And  I,  I  tell  you  that  he  shall  leave  you.  I  tell  yon  that 
he  shall  leave  France,  that  he  shall  go  to  Poland,  and  within 
two  days,  too,  and  if  you  add  one  word  he  shall  go  to-morrow. 
Moreover,  if  you  do  not  smooth  your  brow,  if  you  do  not  take 
that  threatening  look  from  your  eyes,  I  will  strangle  him  this 
evening,  as  yesterday  you  yourself  would  have  strangled  your 
daughter's  lover.  Only  I  shall  not  fail,  as  we  failed  in  regard 
to  La  Mole." 

At  the  first  threat  Catharine's  head  fell ;  but  she  raised  it 
again  almost  immediately. 

"  Ah,  poor  child  !  "  said  she,  "  your  brother  would  kill  you. 
But  do  not  fear,  your  mother  will  protect  you." 


THE  ATRIDES.  371 

"  Ah,  you  defy  me  !  "  cried  Charles.  "  Well !  by  the  blood 
of  Christ,  he  shall  die,  not  this  evening,  not  soon,  but  this  very 
instant.  Ah,  a  weapon  !  a  dagger  !  a  knife !  Ah  !  " 

Having  looked  around  in  vain  for  what  he  wanted,  Charles 
perceived  the  little  dagger  his  mother  always  wore  at  her  belt, 
sprang  toward  it,  snatched  it  from  its  shagreen  case  encrusted 
with  silver,  and  rushed  from  the  room  to  strike  down  Henry 
of  Anjou  wherever  he  might  meet  him.  But  on  reaching  the 
hall,  his  strength,  excited  beyond  human  endurance,  suddenly 
left  him.  He  put  out  his  arm,  dropped  the  sharp  weapon, 
which  stuck  point  downwards  into  the  wood,  uttered  a  piercing 
cry,  sank  down,  and  rolled  over  on  the  floor. 

At  the  same  instant  a  quantity  of  blood  spurted  forth  from 
his  mouth  and  nose. 

"  Jesus  ! "  said  he.     "  They  kill  me  !     Help !  help  !  " 

Catharine,  who  had  followed,  saw  him  fall.  For  one  instant 
she  stood  motionless,  watching  him.  Then  recollecting  her- 
self, not  because  of  any  maternal  affection,  but  because  of  the 
awkwardness  of  the  situation,  she  called  out : 

«  The  King  is  ill !     Help  !  help  !  " 

At  the  cry  a  crowd  of  servants,  officers,  and  courtiers  gath- 
ered around  the  young  King.  But  ahead  of  them  all  a 
woman  rushed  out,  pushed  aside  the  others,  and  raised 
Charles,  who  had  grown  as  pale  as  death. 

"  They  kill  me,  nurse,  they  kill  me,"  murmured  the  King, 
covered  Avith  perspiration  and  blood. 

"  They  kill  you,  my  Charles  ? "  cried  the  good  woman, 
glancing  at  the  group  of  faces  with  a  look  which  reached  even 
Catharine.  «  Who  kills  you  ?  " 

Charles  heaved  a  feeble  sigh,  and  fainted. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  the  physician,  Ambroise  Pare,  who  was  sum- 
moned at  once,  "  ah  !  the  King  is  very  ill ! " 

"  Now,  from  necessity  or  compulsion,"  said  the  implacable 
Catharine  to  herself,  "  he  will  have  to  grant  a  delay." 

Whereupon  she  left  the  King  to  join  her  second  son,  who 
was  in  the  oratory,  anxiously  waiting  to  hear  the  result  of  an 
interview  which  was  of  such  importance  to  him. 


372  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 


CHAPTER   XLI. 

THE    HOROSCOPE. 

ON  leaving  the  oratory,  in  which  she  had  just  informed 
Henry  all  that  had  occurred,  Catharine  found  Rene  in  her 
chamber.  It  was  the  first  time  that  the  queen  and  the  astrolo- 
ger had  seen  each  other  since  the  visit  the  queen  had  made  to 
his  shop  at  the  Pont  Saint  Michel.  But  the  previous  evening 
she  had  written  him,  and  Rene  had  brought  the  answer  to  her 
note  in  person. 

"  Well,"  said  the  queen,  "  have  you  seen  him  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  How  is  he  ?  " 

"  Somewhat  better." 

"Can  he  speak?" 

"  No,  the  sword  traversed  his  larynx." 

"  I  told  you  in  that  case  to  have  him  write." 

"  I  tried.  He  collected  all  his  strength,  but  his  hand  could 
trace  only  two  letters.  They  are  almost  illegible.  Then  he 
fainted.  The  jugular  vein  was  cut  and  the  blood  he  lost  has 
taken  away  all  his  strength." 

"  Have  you  seen  the  letters  ?  " 

"  Here  they  are." 

Rene  drew  a  paper  from  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  Cath- 
arine, who  hastily  unfolded  it. 

"  An  m  and  an  o,"  said  she.  "  Could  it  have  been  La  Mole, 
and  was  all  that  acting  of  Marguerite  done  to  throw  me  off 
the  track  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  said  Rene,  "  if  I  dared  to  express  my  opinion  in 
a  matter  about  which  your  majesty  hesitates  to  give  yours 
I  should  say  that  I  believe  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is  too  much 
in  love  to  be  seriously  interested  in  politics." 

"  You  think  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  above  all  too  much  in  love  with  the  Queen  of 
Navarre  to  serve  the  King  very  devotedly ;  for  there  is  no  real 
love  without  jealousy." 

"  You  think  that  he  is  very  much  in  love,  then  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  Has  he  been  to  you  ?  " 

"Yes." 


THE  HOROSCOPE.  373 

"  Did  he  ask  you  for  some  potion  or  philter  ?  " 

"  No,  we  kept  to  the  wax  figure." 

"  Pierced  to  the  heart  ?  " 

«  To  the  heart." 

"  And  this  figure  still  exists  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Have  you  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  in  my  rooms." 

"  It  would  be  strange,"  said  Catharine,  "  if  these  cabalistic 
preparations  really  had  the  power  attributed  to  them." 

"  Your  majesty  is  a  better  judge  of  that  than  I." 

"  Is  the  Queen  of  Navarre  in  love  with  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole?" 

"  She  loves  him  enough  to  ruin  herself  for  him.  Yesterday 
she  saved  him  from,  death  at  the  risk  of  her  honor  and  her 
life.  You  see,  madame,  and  yet  you  still  doubt." 

«  Doubt  what  ?  " 

"  Science." 

"  Science  also  deceives  me,"  said  Catharine,  looking  steadily 
at  Rene,  who  bore  her  gaze  without  flinching. 

«  About  what  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  you  know  what  I  mean ;  unless,  of  course,  it  was  the 
scholar  and  not  science." 

"  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean,  madame,"  replied  the 
Florentine. 

"  Rene,  have  your  perfumes  lost  their  odor  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,  not  when  I  use  them  ;  but  it  is  possible  that 
in  passing  through  the  hands  of  others  " 

Catharine  smiled  and  shook  her  head. 

"  Your  opiate  has  done  wonders,  Rene,"  said  she ;  "  Madame 
de  Sauve's  lips  are  fresher  and  rosier  than  ever." 

"  It  is  not  my  opiate  that  is  responsible  for  that,  madame. 
The  Baroness  de  Sauve,  using  the  privilege  of  every  pretty 
woman  to  be  capricious,  has  said  nothing  more  to  me  about  this 
opiate,  and  after  the  suggestion  from  your  majesty  I  thought 
it  best  to  send  her  no  more  of  it.  So  that  all  the  boxes  are 
still  in  my  house  just  as  you  left  them,  with  the  exception  of 
one  which  disappeared,  I  know  not  how  or  why." 

"  That  is  well,  Rene,"  said  Catharine ;  "  perhaps  later  we 
may  return  to  this.  In  the  meantime,  let  us  speak  of  the 
other  matter." 

"  I  am  all  attention,  madame." 


374  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  What  is  necessary  to  gain  an  idea  of  the  length  of  any 
one's  life  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place  to  know  the  day  of  his  birth,  his  age,  and 
under  what  condition  he  first  saw  light." 

«  And  then  ?  " 

"  To  have  some  of  his  blood  and  a  lock  of  his  hair." 

"  If  I  bring  you  some  of  his  blood  and  a  lock  of  his  hair,  if 
I  tell  you  the  circumstance  connected  with  his  birth,  the  time, 
and  his  present  age,  will  you  tell'  me  the  probable  date  of  his 
death  ?  " 

"  Yes,  to  within  a  few  days." 

"  Very  well ;  I  have  a  lock  of  his  hair  and  will  get  some  of 
his  blood." 

"  Was  he  born  during  the  day  or  night  ?  " 

"  At  twenty -three  minutes  past  five  in  the  afternoon." 

"  Be  at  my  room  at  five  o'clock  to-morrow.  The  experiment 
must  be  made  at  the  hour  of  his  birth." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Catharine,  "  we  will  be  there." 

Rene  bowed,  and  withdrew  without  apparently  noticing  the 
"  we  will  be  there,"  which,  however,  contrary  to  her  usual 
habit,  indicated  that  Catharine  would  not  go  alone. 

The  following  morning  at  dawn  Catharine  went  to  her  son's 
apartments.  At  midnight  she  had  sent  to  inquire  after  him, 
and  had  been  told  that  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  was  with  him, 
ready  to  bleed  him  if  the  nervous  troubles  continued. 

Still  starting  up  from  his  sleep,  and  still  pale  from  loss  of 
blood,  Charles  dozed  on  the  shoulder  of  his  faithful  nurse,  who 
leaning  against  the  bed  had  not  moved  for  three  hours  for  fear 
of  waking  her  dear  child. 

A  slight  foam  appeared  from  time  to  time  on  the  lips  of  the 
sick  man,  and  the  nurse  wiped  it  off  with  a  fine  embroidered 
linen  handkerchief.  On  the  bed  lay  another  handkerchief 
covered  with  great  spots  of  blood. 

For  an  instant  Catharine  thought  she  would  take  possession 
of  the  handkerchief  ;  but  she  feared  that  this  blood  mixed  with 
the  saliva  would  be  weak,  and  would  not  be  efficacious.  She 
asked  the  nurse  if  the  doctor  had  bled  her  son  as  he  had  said 
he  would  do.  The  nurse  answered  "  Yes  "  and  that  the  flow 
of  blood  had  been  so  great  that  Charles  had  fainted  twice. 
The  queen  mother,  who,  like  all  princesses  in  those  days,  had 
some  knowledge  of  medicine,  asked  to  see  the  blood.  Noth- 
ing was  easier  to  do,  as  the  physician  had  ordered  that  the 


THE  HOROSCOPE.  375 

blood  be  kept  in  order  that  he  might  examine  it.  It  was  in  a 
basin  in  an  adjoining  closet.  Catharine  went  in  to  look  at 
it,  poured  some  into  a  small  bottle  which  she  had  brought 
for  this  purpose  ;  and  then  came  back,  hiding  in  her  pocket  her 
fingers,  the  tips  of  which  otherwise  would  have  betrayed  her. 

Just  as  she  came  back  from  the  closet  Charles  opened  his 
eyes  and  saw  his  mother.  Then  remembering  as  in  a  dream 
all  his  bitter  thoughts  : 

"  Ah  !  is  it  you,  madame  ?  "  said  he.  "  Well,  say  to  your 
well  loved  son,  to  your  Henry  of  Anjou,  that  it  shall  be  to- 
morrow." 

"  My  dear  Charles,"  said  Catharine,  "  it  shall  be  just  when 
you  please.  Be  quiet  now  and  go  to  sleep." 

As  if  yielding  to  this  advice  Charles  closed  his  eyes  ;  and 
Catharine,  who  had  spoken  to  him  as  one  does  to  calm  a  sick 
person  or  a  child,  left  the  room.  But  when  he  heard  the  door 
close  Charles  suddenly  sat  up,  and  in  a  voice  still  weak  from 
suffering,  said  : 

"My  chancellor!  The  seals!  the  court! — send  for  them 
all." 

The  nurse,  with  gentle  insistence,  laid  the  head  of  the  King 
back  on  her  shoulder,  and  in  order  to  put  him  to  sleep  strove 
to  rock  him  as  she  would  have  done  a  child. 

"  No,  no,  nurse,  I  cannot  sleep  any  more.  Call  my  attend- 
ants. I  must  work  this  morning." 

When  Charles  spoke  in  that  way  he  was  obeyed ;  and  even 
the  nurse,  in  spite  of  the  privileges  allowed  her  by  her  foster- 
child,  dared  not  disobey.  She  sent  for  those  whom  the  King 
wanted,  and  the  council  was  planned,  not  for  the  next  day, 
which  was  out  of  the  question,  but  for  five  days  from  then. 

At  the  hour  agreed  on,  that  is,  at  five  o'clock,  the  queen 
mother  and  the  Due  d' Anjou  repaired  to  the  rooms  of  Kene, 
who,  expecting  their  visit,  had  everything  ready  for  the  mys- 
terious seance.  In  the  room  to  the  right,  that  is,  in  the  cham- 
ber of  sacrifices,  a  steel  blade  was  heating  over  a  glowing  bra- 
zier. From  its  fanciful  arabesques  this  blade  was  intended  to 
represent  the  events  of  the  destiny  about  which  the  oracle  was 
to  be  consulted.  On  the  altar  lay  the  Book  of  Fate,  and  dur- 
ing the  night,  which  had  been  very  clear,  Rene  had  studied 
the  course  and  the  position  of  the  stars. 

Henry  of  Anjou  entered  first.  He  wore  a  wig,  a  mask  con- 
cealed his  face,  and  a  long  cloak  hid  his  figure.  His  mother 


376  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

followed.  Had  she  not  known  beforehand  that  the  man  who 
had  preceded  her  was  her  son  she  never  would  have  recognized 
him.  Catharine  removed  her  mask ;  the  Due  d'Anjou  kept  his 
on. 

"  Did  you  make  any  observations  last  night  ?  "  asked  Catha- 
rine. 

"  Yes,  madame,"  said  Rene ;  "  and  the  answer  of  the  stars 
has  already  told  me  the  past.  The  one  you  wish  to  know 
about,  like  every  one  born  under  the  sign  of  the  Cancer,  has  ;i 
warm  heart  and  great  pride.  He  is  powerful.  He  has  lived 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  has  until  now  had  glory 
and  wealth.  Is  this  so,  madame  ?  " 

"  Possibly,"  said  Catharine. 

"  Have  you  a  lock  of  his  hair,  and  some  of  his  blood  ?" 

«  Yes."  ' 

Catharine  handed  to  the  necromancer  a  lock  of  fair  hair  and 
a  small  bottle  filled  with  blood. 

Rene  took  the  flask,  shook  it  thoroughly,  so  that  the  fibrine 
and  water  would  mix,  and  poured  a  large  drop  of  it  on  the 
glowing  steel.  The  living  liquid  boiled  for  an  instant,  and 
then  spread  out  into  fantastic  figures. 

"  Oh,  madame,"  cried  Rene,  "  I  see  him  twisting  in  awful 
agony.  Hear  how  he  groans,  how  he  calls  for  help  !  Do  you 
see  how  everything  around  him  becomes  blood  ?  Do  you  see 
how  about  his  death-bed  great  combats  are  taking  place  ?  See, 
here  are  the  lances ;  and  look,  there  are  the  swords  !  " 

"  Will  it  be  long  before  this  happens  ?  "  asked  Catharine, 
trembling  from  an  indescribable  emotion  and  laying  her  hand 
on  that  of  Henry  of  Anjou,  who  in  his  eager  curiosity  was 
leaning  over  the  brazier. 

Rene  approached  the  altar  and  repeated  a  cabalistic  prayer, 
putting  such  energy  and  conviction  into  the  act  that  the  veins 
of  his  temples  swelled,  and  caused  the  prophetic  convulsions 
and  nervous  twinges  from  which  the  ancient  priestesses  suf- 
fered before  their  tripods,  and  even  on  their  death-beds. 

At  length  he  rose  and  announced  that  everything  was  ready, 
took  the  flask,  still  three-quarters  full,  in  one  hand,  and  in  the 
other  the  lock  of  hair.  Then  telling  Catharine  to  open  the 
book  at  random,  and  to  read  the  first  words  she  looked  at,  he 
poured  the  rest  of  the  blood  on  the  steel  blade,  and  threw  the 
hair  into  the  brazier,  pronouncing  a  cabalistic  sentence  com- 
posed of  Hebrew  words  which  he  himself  did  not  understand. 


THE  HOROSCOPE.  377 

Instantly  the  Due  d'Anjou  and  Catharine  saw  a  white  figure 
appear  on  the  sword  like  that  of  a  corpse  wrapped  in  his 
shroud.  Another  figure,  which  seemed  that  of  a  woman,  was 
leaning  over  the  first. 

At  the  same  time  the  hair  caught  fire  and  threw  out  a  single 
flame,  clear,  swift,  and  barbed  like  a  fiery  tongue. 

"  One  year,"  cried  Rene,  "  scarcely  one  year,  and  this  man 
shall  die.  A  woman  alone  shall  weep  for  him.  But  no,  there 
at  the  end  of  the  sword  is  another  woman,  with  a  child  in 
her  arms." 

Catharine  looked  at  her  son,  and,  mother  though  she  was, 
seemed  to  ask  him  who  these  two  women  were. 

But  Rene  had  scarcely  finished  speaking  before  the  steel 
became  white  and  everything  gradually  disappeared  from  its 
surface.  Then  Catharine  opened  the  book  and  read  the  fol- 
lowing lines  in  a  voice  which,  in  spite  of  her  effort  at  control, 
she  could  not  keep  from  shaking : 

"'  Ains  a  peri  cil  que  Con  redoutoit, 

Plus  tdt,  trop  t6t,  si  prudence  n'etoit.' "  ' 

A  deep  silence  reigned  for  some  moments. 

"  For  the  one  whom  you  know,"  asked  Catharine,  "  what  are 
the  signs  for  this  month  ?  " 

"  As  favorable  as  ever,  madam e  ;  unless  Providence  inter- 
feres with  his  destiny  he  will  be  fortunate.  And  yet  "  — 

«  And  yet  what  ?  " 

"  One  of  the  stars  in  his  pleiad  was  covered  with  a  black 
cloud  while  I  made  my  observations." 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  Catharine,  "a  black  cloud  —  there  is  some 
hope,  then  ?  " 

"  Of  whom  are  you  speaking,  madame  ? "  asked  the  Due 
d'Anjou. 

Catharine  drew  her  son  away  from  the  light  of  the  brazier 
and  spoke  to  him  in  a  low  tone. 

Meanwhile  Rene  knelt  down,  and  in  the  glow  of  the  flame 
poured  into  his  hand  the  last  drop  of  blood  which  had  re- 
mained in  the  bottom  of  the  flask. 

"  Strange  contradiction,"  said  he,  "  which  proves  how  little 
to  be  depended  on  is  the  evidence  of  simple  science  practised 
by  ordinary  men  !  To  any  one  but  myself,  a  physician,  a 

1(1  Thus  had  perished  one  who  was  feared, 

Sooner,  too  soon,  would  he  have  died,  had  it  not  been  for  prudence." 


378  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

scholar,  even  for  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare,  this  blood  would  seem 
so  pure,  so  healthy,  so  full  of  life  and  animal  spirits,  that  it 
would  promise  long  years  of  life ;  and  yet  all  this  vigor  will 
soon  disappear,  all  this  life  will  be  extinct  within  a  year ! " 

Catharine  and  Henry  of  Anjou  had  turned  round  and  were 
listening. 

The  eyes  of  the  prince  glowed  through  his  mask. 

"  Ah  ! "  continued  Rene,  "  the  present  alone  is  known  to 
ordinary  mortals;  while  to  us  the  past  and  the  future  are 
known." 

"So,"  continued  Catharine,  "you  still  think  he  will  die 
within  the  year  ?  " 

"  As  surely  as  we  are  three  living  persons  who  some  day  will 
rest  in  our  coffins." 

"  Yet  you  said  that  the  blood  was  pure  and  healthy,  and 
that  it  indicated  a  long  life." 

"  Yes,  if  things  followed  their  natural  course.  But  might 
not  an  accident  "  — 

"  Ah,  yes,  do  you  hear  ?  "  said  Catharine  to  Henry,  "  an 
accident "  — 

"  Alas  !  "  said  the  latter,  "  all  the  more  reason  for  my  staying." 

"  Oh,  think  no  more  about  that :  it  is  not  possible." 

Then  turning  to  Rene  : 

"  Thanks,"  said  the  young  man,  disguising  his  voice, 
"  thanks ;  take  this  purse." 

" Come,  count"  said  Catharine,  intentionally  giving  her  son 
this  title  to  throw  Rene  off  the  track. 

They  left. 

"  Oh,  mother,  you  see,"  said  Henry,  "  an  accident  —  and  if 
an  accident  should  happen,  I  shall  not  be  on  hand ;  I  shall  be 
four  hundred  leagues  from  you" — 

"  Four  hundred  leagues  are  accomplished  in  eight  days,  my 
son." 

"  Yes;  but  how  do  I  know  whether  those  Poles  will  let  me 
come  back  ?  If  I  could  only  wait,  mother  ! " 

"  Who  knows  ?  "  said  Catharine  ;  "  might  not  this  accident 
of  which  Rene  speaks  be  the  one  which  since  yesterday  has 
laid  the  King  on  a  bed  of  pain  ?  Listen,  return  by  yourself, 
my  child.  I  shall  go  back  by  the  private  door  of  the  mon- 
astery of  the  Augustines.  My  suite  is  waiting  for  me  in  this 
convent.  Go,  now,  Henry,  go,  and  keep  from  irritating  your 
brother  in  case  you  see  him." 


CONFIDENCES.  379 


CHAPTER   XLII. 

CONFIDENCES. 

THE  first  thing  the  Due  d'Anjou  heard  on  arriving  at  the 
Louvre  was  that  the  formal  reception  of  the  ambassadors  was 
arranged  for  the  fifth  day  from  that.  The  tailors  and  the  jew- 
ellers were  waiting  for  the  prince  with  magnificent  clothes  and 
superb  jewels  which  the  King  had  ordered  for  him. 

While  the  duke  tried  them  on  with  an  anger  which  brought 
the  tears  to  his  eyes,  Henry  of  Navarre  was  very  gay  in  a 
magnificent  collar  of  emeralds,  a  sword  with  a  gold  handle, 
and  a  precious  ring  which  Charles  had  sent  him  that  morning. 

D'Alenqon  had  just  received  a  letter  and  had  shut  himself 
up  in  his  own  room  to  read  it. 

As  to  Coconnas,  he  was  searching  every  corner  of  the  Louvre 
for  his  friend. 

In  fact,  as  may  easily  be  imagined,  he  had  been  somewhat 
surprised  at  not  seeing  La  Mole  return  that  night,  and  by  morn- 
ing had  begun  to  feel  some  anxiety. 

Consequently  he  had  started  out  to  find  his  friend.  He 
began  his  search  at  the  Hotel  de  la  Belle  Etoile,  went  from 
there  to  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee,  from  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee 
to  the  Rue  Tizon,  from  there  to  the  Pont  Saint  Michel,  and 
finally  from  the  Pont  Saint  Michel  to  the  Louvre.  This  search, 
so  far  as  those  who  had  been  questioned  were  concerned,  had 
been  carried  on  in  a  way  so  original  and  exacting  ( which  may 
easily  be  believed  when  one  realizes  the  eccentric  character  of 
Coconnas)  that  it  had  caused  some  explanations  between  him 
and  three  courtiers.  These  explanations  had  ended,  as  was 
the  fashion  of  the  times,  on  the  ground.  In  these  encounters 
Coconnas  had  been  as  conscientious  as  he  usually  was  in 
affairs  of  that  kind,  and  had  killed  the  first  man  and  wounded 
the  two  others,  saying  : 

"  Poor  La  Mole,  he  knew  Latin  so  well !  " 

The  last  victim,  who  was  the  Baron  de  Boissey,  said  as  he 
fell: 

"  Oh,  for  the  love  of  Heaven,  Coconnas,  do  vary  a  little  and 
at  least  say  that  he  knew  Greek  ! " 

At  last  the  report  of  the  adventure  in  the  corridor  leaked 
out.  Coconnas  was  heartbroken  over  it ;  for  an  instant  he 


380  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

thought  that  all  these  kings  and  princes  had  killed  his  friend 
and  thrown  him  into  some  dungeon. 

He  learned  that  D'Alenqon  had  been  of  the  party ;  and  over- 
looking the  majesty  which  surrounded  a  prince  of  the  blood,  he 
went  to  him  and  demanded  an  explanation  as  he  would  have 
done  of  a  simple  gentleman. 

At  first  D'AlenQon  was  inclined  to  thrust  out  of  the  door  the 
impertinent  fellow  who  came  and  asked  for  an  account  of  his 
actions.  But  Coconnas  spoke  so  curtly,  his  eyes  flashed  with 
such  brightness,  and  the  affair  of  the  three  duels  in  less  than 
twenty-four  hours  had  raised  the  Piedmontese  so  high,  that 
D'Alenqon  reflected,  and  instead  of  yielding  to  his  first  incli- 
nation, he  answered  the  gentleman  with  a  charming  smile : 

"  My  dear  Coconnas,  it  is  true  that  the  King  was  furious  at 
receiving  a  silver  bowl  on  his  shoulder,  that  the  Duo  d'Anjou 
was  vexed  at  being  hit  on  the  head  by  some  orange  marmalade, 
and  the  Due  de  Guise  humiliated  at  having  the  breath  knocked 
out  of  him  by  a  haunch  of  venison,  and  so  they  were  all  de- 
termined to  kill  Monsieur  de  la  Mole.  But  a  friend  of  your 
friend's  turned  aside  the  blow.  The  party  therefore  failed  in 
their  attempt.  I  give  you  my  word  as  prince." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Coconnas,  breathing  as  hard  as  a  pair  of 
bellows.  "  By  Heaven,  monseigneur,  this  is  good  news,  and  I 
should  like  to  know  this  friend  to  show  him  my  gratitude." 

Monsieur  d'Alenqon  made  no  reply,  but  smiled  more 
pleasantly  than  he  had  yet  done,  implying  to  Coconnas  that 
this  friend  was  none  other  than  the  prince  himself. 

"  Well,  monseigneur  !  "  said  Coconnas,  "  since  you  have  gone 
so  far  as  to  tell  me  the  beginning  of  the  story,  crown  your  kind- 
ness by  finishing  it.  They  tried  to  kill  him,  but  failed,  you 
say.  Well,  what  happened  then  ?  I  am  brave  and  can  bear 
the  news.  Have  they  thrown  him  into  some  dungeon  ?  So 
much  the  better.  It  will  make  him  more  careful  in  future. 
He  never  would  listen  to  my  advice  ;  besides,  we  can  get  him 
out,  by  Heaven !  Stone  does  not  baffle  every  one." 

D'Alenqon  shook  his  head. 

"  The  worst  of  all  this,  my  brave  Coconnas,"  said  he,  "  is 
that  your  friend  disappeared  after  the  affair,  and  no  one  knows 
where  he  went." 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  cried  the  Piedmontese,  again  growing  pale, 
"had  he  gone  to  hell  I  should  at  least  have  known  where  he 
is." 


CONFIDENCES.  381 

"  Listen,"  said  D'Alemjon,  who,  although  for  different  reasons, 
was  as  anxious  as  Coconnas  to  know  La  Mole's  whereabouts, 
"  I  will  give  you  the  advice  of  a  friend." 

"  Give  it,  my  lord,"  said  CocoVinas,  eagerly. 

"  Go  to  Queen  Marguerite.  She  must  know  what  has  be- 
come of  the  friend  you  mourn." 

"  I  will  confess  to  your  highness,"  said  Coconnas,  "  that  I 
had  thought  of  going  to  her,  but  I  scarcely  dared.  Madame 
Marguerite  has  a  way  of  making  me  feel  somewhat  uncomfort- 
able at  times,  and  besides  this,  I  feared  that  I  might  find  her 
in  tears.  But  since  your  highness  assures  me  that  La  Mole  is 
not  dead  and  that  her  majesty  knows  where  he  is  I  will  take 
heart  and  go  to  her." 

"  Do  so,  my  friend,"  said  Francois.  "  And  when  you  find 
out  where  La  Mole  is,  let  me  know,  for  really  I  am  as  anxious 
as  you  are.  But  remember  one  thing,  Coconnas  " 

«  What  ?  " 

"  Do  not  say  you  have  come  at  my  suggestion,  for  if  you  do 
you  will  learn  nothing." 

"  Monseigneur,"  said  Coconnas,  "  since  your  highness  recom- 
mends secrecy  on  this  point,  I  shall  be  as  silent  as  a  tench  or 
as  the  queen  mother." 

"  What  a  kind,  good,  generous  prince  he  is ! "  murmured 
Coconnas  as  he  set  out  to  find  the  Queen  of  Navarre. 

Marguerite  was  expecting  Coconnas,  for  the  report  of  his 
despair  had  reached  her,  and  on  hearing  by  what  exploits  his 
grief  had  showed  itself  she  almost  forgave  him  for  his  some- 
what rude  treatment  of  her  friend  Madame  la  Duchesse  de 
Nevers,  to  whom  he  had  not  spoken  for  two  or  three  days, 
owing  to  some  misunderstanding  between  them.  Therefore  as 
soon  as  he  was  announced  to  the  queen  he  was  admitted. 

Coconnas  entered  the  room,  unable  to  overcome  the  con- 
straint which  he  had  mentioned  to  D' Alemjon,  and  which  he  had 
always  felt  in  the  presence  of  the  queen.  It  was  caused  more 
by  her  superior  intellect  than  by  her  rank.  But  Marguerite 
received  him  with  a  smile  Avhich  at  once  put  him  at  his  ease. 

"Ah,  madaine,"  said  he,  "give  me  back  my  friend,  I  beg 
you,  or  at  least  tell  me  what  has  become  of  him,  for  without 
him  I  cannot  live.  Imagine  Euryalus  without  Nisus,  Damon 
without  Pythias,  or  Orestes  without  Pylades,  and  pity  my 
grief  for  the  sake  of  one  of  the  heroes  I  have  just  mentioned, 
whose  heart,  I  swear,  was  no  more  tender  than  mine." 


382  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

Marguerite  smiled,  and  having  made  Coconuas  promise  not 
to  reveal  the  secret,  she  told  him  of  La  Mole's  escape  from 
the  window.  As  to  his  'hiding-place,  insistent  as  were  the 
prayers  of  the  Piedmontese,  sfre  preserved  the  strictest  silence. 
This  only  half  satisfied  Coconnas,  so  he  resorted  to  diplomatic 
speeches  of  the  highest  order. 

The  result  was  that  Marguerite  saw  clearly  that  the  Due 
d'Alenqon  was  partly  the  cause  of  the  courtier's  great  desire  to 
know  what  had  become  of  La  Mole. 

"  Well,"  said  the  queen,  "  if  you  must  know  something 
definite  about  your  friend,  ask  King  Henry  of  Navarre.  He 
alone  has  the  right  to  speak.  As  to  me,  all  I  can  tell  you  is 
that  the  friend  for  whom  you  are  searching  is  alive,  and  you 
may  believe  what  I  say." 

"  I  believe  one  thing  still  more,  madame,"  replied  Coconnas  ; 
"  that  is,  that  your  beautiful  eyes  have  not  wept." 

Thereupon,  thinking  that  there  was  nothing  to  add  to  a 
remark  which  had  the  double  advantage  of  expressing  his 
thought  as  well  as  the  high  opinion  he  had  of  La  Mole, 
Coconnas  withdrew,  pondering  on  a  reconciliation  with  Madame 
de  Nevers,  not  on  her  account,  but  in  order  that  he  might  find 
out  from  her  what  he  had  been  unable  to  learn  from  Mar- 
guerite. 

Deep  griefs  are  abnormal  conditions  in  which  the  mind 
shakes  off  the  yoke  as  soon  as  possible.  The  thought  of 
leaving  Marguerite  had  at  first  broken  La  Mole's  heart,  and  it 
was  in  order  to  save  the  reputation  of  the  queen  rather  than 
to  preserve  his  own  life  that  he  had  consented  to  run  away. 

Therefore,  the  following  evening  he  returned  to  Paris  to  see 
Marguerite  from  her  balcony.  As  if  instinct  told  her  of  the 
young  man's  plan,  the  queen  spent  the  whole  evening  at  her 
window.  The  result  was  that  the  lovers  met  again  with  the 
indescribable  delight  which  accompanies  forbidden  pleasures. 
More  than  this,  the  melancholy  and  romantic  temperament  of 
La  Mole  found  a  certain  charm  in  the  situation.  But  a  man 
really  in  love  is  happy  only  for  the  time  being,  while  he  sees 
or  is  with  the  woman  he  loves.  After  he  has  left  her  he 
suffers.  Anxious  to  see  Marguerite  again,  La  Mole  set  himself 
busily  to  work  to  bring  about  the  event  which  would  make  it 
possible  for  him  to  be  with  her ;  namely,  the  flight  of  the  King 
of  Navarre. 

Marguerite  on  her  part  willingly  gave  herself  up  to  the  hap- 


CONFIDENCES.  383 

piness  of  being  loved  with  so  pure  a  devotion.  Often  she  was 
angry  with  herself  for  what  she  regarded  as  a  weakness.  Her 
strong  mind  despised  the  poverty  of  ordinary  love,  insensible 
to  the  details  which  for  tender  souls  make  it  the  sweetest,  the 
most  delicate,  and  the  most  desirable  of  all  pleasures.  So  she 
felt  that  the  days,  if  not  happily  filled,  were  at  least  happily 
ended.  When,  at  about  nine  o'clock  every  evening,  she  stepped 
out  on  her  balcony  in  a  white  dressing-gown,  she  perceived 
in  the  darkness  of  the  quay  a  horseman  whose  hand  was  raised 
first  to  his  lips,  then  to  his  heart.  Then  a  significant  cough 
reminded  the  lover  of  a  cherished  voice.  Sometimes  a  note 
was  thrown  by  a  little  hand,  and  in  the  note  was  hidden  some 
costly  jewel,  precious  not  on  account  of  its  value,  but  because 
it  had  belonged  to  her  who  threw  it ;  and  this  would  fall  on 
the  pavement  a  few  feet  from  the  young  man.  Then  La  Mole 
would  swoop  down  on  it  like  a  kite,  press  it  to  his  heart,  answer 
in  the  same  voice,  while  Marguerite  stood  at  her  balcony  until 
the  sound  of  the  horse's  hoofs  had  died  away  in  the  dark- 
ness. The  steed,  ridden  at  full  speed  when  coming,  on  leaving 
seemed  as  if  made  of  material  as  lifeless  as  that  of  the  famous 
horse  which  lost  Troy. 

This  was  why  the  queen  was  not  anxious  as  to  the  fate  of 
La  Mole.  But  fearing  that  he  might  be  watched  and  followed 
she  persistently  refused  all  interviews  except  these  clandestine 
ones,  which  began  immediately  after  La  Mole's  flight  and  con- 
tinued every  evening  until  the  time  set  for  the  formal  reception 
of  the  ambassadors,  a  reception  which  by  the  express  orders 
of  Ambroise  Pare,  as  we  have  seen,  was  postponed  for  several 
days. 

The  evening  before  this  reception,  at  about  nine  o'clock,  when 
every  one  in  the  Louvre  was  engaged  in  preparations  for  the 
following  day,  Marguerite  opened  her  window  and  stepped  out 
upon  her  balcony.  As  she  did  so,  without  waiting  for  her 
note,  La  Mole,  in  greater  haste  than  usual,  threw  his  note 
which  with  his  usual  skill  fell  at  the  feet  of  his  royal  mis- 
tress. 

Marguerite  realized  that  the  missive  contained  something 
special,  and  retired  from  the  balcony  to  read  it.  The  note 
consisted  of  two  separate  sheets. 

On  the  first  page  were  these  words  : 

"  Madame,  I  must  speak  to  the  King  of  Navarre.  The 
matter  is  urgent.  I  will  wait." 


384  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

On  the  second  page  were  these  words : 

"  My  lady  and  my  queen,  arrange  so  that  I  may  give  you 
one  of  the  kisses  I  now  send  you.  I  will  wait." 

Marguerite  had  scarcely  finished  the  second  part  of  the 
letter  when  she  heard  the  voice  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  who 
with  his  usual  caution  had  knocked  on  the  outer  door,  and  was 
asking  Gillonne  if  he  might  enter. 

The  queen  at  once  separated  the  letter,  put  one  of  the  sheets 
in  her  robe,  the  other  in  her  pocket,  hurriedly  closed  the 
window,  and  stepped  to  the  door. 

"  Enter,  sire,"  said  she. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Marguerite  had  been  careful 
to  close  the  window  quickly  and  gently,  the  sound  had  reached 
Henry,  whose  acute  senses,  in  the  midst  of  people  he  greatly 
mistrusted,  had  almost  acquired  the  exquisite  delicacy  they 
attain  in  the  savage.  But  the  King  of  Navarre  was  not  one 
of  those  tyrants  who  forbid  their  wives  from  taking  the  air 
and  watching  the  stars. 

Henry  was  as  gracious  and  smiling  as  ever. 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  "  while  every  one  is  rehearsing  the 
coming  ceremonial,  I  thought  I  would  come  and  have  a  little 
talk  with  you  about  my  affairs,  which  you  still  regard  as  yours, 
do  you  not  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  monsieur,"  replied  Marguerite ;  "  are  not  our 
interests  one  and  the  same  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,  and  that  is  why  I  wanted  to  ask  what  you 
thought  about  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alenqon's  avoiding  me  so  for 
the  last  few  days.  The  day  before  yesterday  he  even  went  to 
Saint  Germain.  Does  it  not  mean  either  that  he  is  planning  to 
leave  by  himself,  for  he  is  watched  very  little,  or  that  he  is 
not  going  to  leave  at  ail?  Give  me  your  opinion,  madame,  if 
you  please.  I  confess  it  will  be  a  great  relief  to  me  to  tell  you 
mine." 

"  Your  majesty  is  right  in  being  anxious  at  my  brother's 
silence.  I  have  been  thinking  about  it  all  day,  and  my  idea 
is  that  as  circumstances  have  changed  he  has  changed  with 
them." 

"  You  mean,  do  you  not,  that  seeing  King  Charles  ill  and 
the  Due  d'Anjou  King  of  Poland  he  would  not  be  averse  to 
staying  in  Paris  to  keep  watch  over  the  crown  of  France  ?  " 

«  Exactly." 


CONFIDENCES.  385 

"  Be  it  so.  I  ask  nothing  better  than  for  him  to  remain," 
said  Henry  ;  "  only  that  will  change  our  entire  plan.  To  leave 
without  him  I  shall  need  three  times  the  guarantees  I  should 
have  asked  for  had  I  gone  with  your  brother,  whose  name  and 
presence  in  the  enterprise  would  have  been  my  safeguard. 
But  what  surprises  me  is  that  I  have  not  heard  from  Monsieur 
de  Mouy.  It  is  not  like  him  to  stay  away  so  long.  Have  you 
had  any  news  of  him,  madame  ?  " 

"  I,  sire  !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  in  astonishment ; "  why,  how 
could  you  expect  " — 

"  Why,  by  Heaven,  my  dear,  nothing  would  be  more  natural. 
In  order  to  please  me,  you  were  kind  enough  to  save  the  life 
of  young  La  Mole,  —  he  must  have  reached  Nantes,  — and  if 
one  can  get  to  a  place  he  can  easily  get  away  from  it." 

"  Ah  !  this  explains  an  enigma,  the  answer  to  which  I  could 
not  make  out,"  said  Marguerite.  "  I  had  left  my  window  open, 
and  found,  on  coming  back  to  my  room,  a  note  on  my  floor." 

"  There  now,"  said  Henry. 

"  A  note  which  at  first  I  could  not  understand,  and  to  which 
I  attached  no  importance  whatsoever,"  continued  Marguerite. 
"  Perhaps  I  was  wrong,  and  that  it  comes  from  that  quarter." 

"  That  is  possible,"  said  Henry  ;  "  I  might  even  say  probable. 
Might  I  see  this  note  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  sire,"  replied  Marguerite,  handing  to  the  king 
the  missive  she  had  put  into  her  pocket.  The  king  glanced 
at  it. 

"  Is  it  not  Monsieur  de  la  Mole's  handwriting  ?  "  said  he. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Marguerite.  "  It  looks  to  me  like 
a  counterfeit." 

"  No  matter,  let  us  read  it."     And  he  read : 

"  Madame,  I  must  speak  to  the  King  of  Navarre.  The  mat- 
ter is  urgent.  I  will  wait." 

"  So !  "  said  Henry  — "  you  see,  he  says  he  will  wait." 
"  Certainly  I  see  that,"  said  Marguerite.     "  But  what  would 
you  expect  ?  " 

"  Why  !  venire  saint  gris  !  I  expect  that  he  is  waiting  !  " 
"  That  he  is  waiting  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  looking  at  her  hus- 
band in  astonishment.  "  How  can  you  say  such  a  thing,  sire  ? 
A  man  whom  the  King  tried  to  kill  —  a  man  who  is  watched, 
threatened  —  waiting,  you  say  !  Would  that  be  possible  ?  — 
are  the  doors  made  for  those  who  have  been  " — 


386  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

11  Obliged  to  escape  by  the  window  —  you  were  going  to 
say  ? ?' 

"  Yes,  you  have  finished  my  sentence." 

"  Well,  but  if  they  know  the  way  by  the  window,  let  them 
take  it,  since  it  is  perfectly  impossible  for  them  to  enter  by 
the  door.  It  is  very  simple." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  Marguerite,  flashing  with  pleasure 
at  the  thought  of  again  being  near  La  Mole. 

"  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  But  how  could  one  reach  the  window  ?  "  asked  the  queen. 

"  Did  you  not  keep  the  rope  ladder  I  sent  you  ?  Where  is 
your  usual  foresight  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire,  I  kept  it,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  In  that  case  there  will  be  no  difficulty,"  said  Henry. 

"  What  does  your  majesty  wish  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  is  very  simple,"  said  Henry.  "  Fasten  it  to  your 
balcony  and  let  it  hang  down.  If  it  is  De  Mouy  who  is  waiting 
and  he  wants  to  mount  it,  he  will  do  so." 

Without  losing  his  gravity  Henry  took  the  candle  to  aid 
Marguerite  in  her  search  for  the  ladder.  They  did  not  have 
to  look  long ;  it  was  in  a  wardrobe  in  the  famous  closet. 

"  There  it  is,"  said  Henry  ;  "  now,  madame,  if  I  am  not 
asking  too  much,  fasten  it  to  the  balcony,  I  beg  you." 

"  Why  should  I  fasten  it  and  not  you,  sire  ?  "  said  Mar- 
guerite. 

"  Because  the  best  conspirators  are  the  most  careful.  Seeing 
a  man  might  perhaps  frighten  away  our  friend,  you  see." 
Marguerite  smiled  and  tied  the  ladder. 

"  There,"  said  Henry,  concealing  himself  in  a  corner  of  the 
room,  "  stand  so  he  can  see  you  ;  now  drop  the  ladder ;  good  ! 
I  am  sure  that  De  Mouy  will  climb  up." 

In  fact,  about  ten  minutes  later  a  man,  mad  with  joy, 
stepped  over  the  balcony,  but  seeing  that  the  queen  did  not 
come  to  him,  he  hesitated  a  moment.  Instead  of  Marguerite 
it  was  Henry  who  stepped  forward. 

"  Ah ! "  said  he,  graciously,  "  it  is  not  De  Mouy,  but  Mon- 
sieur de  la  Mole.  Good  evening,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole. 
Come  in,  I  beg  you." 

La  Mole  paused  a  moment,  overwhelmed.  Had  he  still 
been  on  the  ladder  instead  of  on  the  balcony  he  might  pos- 
sibly have  fallen  backward. 

"  You  wanted  to  speak  to  the  King  of  Navarre  on  matters 


CONFIDENCES.  387 

of  importance,"  said  Marguerite.  "  I  have  told  him  so  and 
here  he  is." 

Henry  closed  the  window. 

"  I  love  you,"  said  Marguerite,  hastily  pressing  the  young 
man's  hand. 

"  Well,  monsieur,"  said  Henry,  placing  a  chair  for  La 
Mole,  "  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  This,  sire,''  replied  La  Mole.  "  I  have  left  Monsieur  de 
Mouy  at  the  city  gates.  He  desires  to  know  if  Maurevel  has 
spoken,  and  if  his  presence  in  your  majesty's  room  is  known." 

"  Not  yet,  but  it  will  be  before  long ;  so  we  must  make 
haste." 

"  That  is  my  opinion,  sire,  and  if  to-morrow  evening  Mon- 
sieur d'Alenqon  is  ready  to  start,  De  Mouy  will  be  at  the  Porte 
Saint  Marcel  with  five  hundred  men.  These  will  take  you  to 
Fontainebleau.  Then  you  can  easily  reach  Blois,  Angouleme, 
and  Bordeaux." 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  turning  to  his  wife,  "  I  ^an  be  ready 
by  to-morrow  ;  can  you  ?  " 

La  Mole's  eyes  were  anxiously  fixed  on  those  of  Marguerite. 

"  You  have  my  promise,"  said  the  queen.  "  Wherever  you 
go,  I  will  follow.  But  you  know  Monsieur  d'Alengon  must 
leave  at  the  same  time.  No  half  way  with  him  ;  either  he 
serves  us  or  he  betrays  us.  If  he  hesitates  we  do  not  stir." 

"  Does  he  know  anything  of  this  plan,  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  He  should  have  received  a  letter  from  Monsieur  de  Mouy 
several  days  ago." 

"  Why,"  said  Henry,  "  he  said  nothing  to  me  about  it !  " 

"  Be  careful,  monsieur,"  said  Marguerite,  "  be  careful." 

"  I  shall  be  on  my  guard,  you  may  be  sure.  How  can  we 
get  an  answer  to  De  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Do  not  worry,  sire.  On  the  right,  on  the  left,  of  your 
majesty,  visible  or  invisible,  he  will  be  on  hand  to-morrow 
during  the  reception  of  the  ambassadors.  One  word  in  the 
address  of  the  queen  will  suffice  for  him  to  understand 
whether  you  consent  or  not,  whether  he  must  leave  or  wait 
for  you.  If  the  Due  d'Alenqon  refuses,  he  asks  but  a  fort- 
night to  reorganize  everything  in  your  name." 

"  Really,"  said  Henry,  "  De  Mouy  is  invaluable.  Can  you 
insert  the  necessary  words  in  your  address,  madame  ?  " 

"  Nothing  will  be  easier,"  replied  Marguerite. 


388  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Then  I  will  see  Monsieur  d'Alenqon  to-morrow,"  said 
Henry.  "  Let  De  Mouy  be  at  his  post  ready  to  understand  at 
a  word." 

"  He  will  be  there,  sire." 

"And,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  Henry,  "  take  "my  answer 
to  him.  You  probably  have  a  horse  or  a  servant  near  by  ?  " 

"  Orthon  is  waiting  for  me  at  the  quay." 

"  Go  back  to  him,  monsieur.  Oh,  no,  not  by  the  window, 
which  is  good  only  for  an  emergency.  You  might  be  seen, 
and  as  it  would  not  be  known  that  you  had  taken  this  risk 
for  me,  it  might  compromise  the  queen." 

"  How  shall  I  leave,  sire  ?  " 

"Although  you  may  not  be  able  to  enter  the  Louvre  by 
yourself,  you  can  at  least  leave  it  with  me,  for  I  have  the  pass- 
word. You  have  your  cloak,  I  have  mine ;  we  will  put  them 
on  and  can  pass  the  gate  without  difficulty.  Besides,  I  shall 
be  glad  to  give  some  special  orders  to  Orthon.  Wait  here 
while  I  go  a*nd  see  if  there  is  any  one  in  the  corridor." 

With  the  most  natural  air  possible  Henry  went  out  to  in- 
vestigate. La  Mole  was  left  alone  with  the  queen. 

"  Ah  !  when  shall  I  see  you  again  ?  "  said  he. 

"  To-morrow  evening,  if  we  leave.  Otherwise  some  even- 
ing soon  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  Henry,  returning,  "  you  can 
come  ;  there  is  no  one  here." 

La  Mole  bowed  respectfully  to  the  queen. 

"  Give  him  your  hand  to  kiss,  madame,"  said  Henry  ;  "  Mon- 
sieur de  la  Mole  is  no  ordinary  servitor." 

Marguerite  obeyed. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Henry,  "  be  sure  and  keep  the  rope 
ladder.  It  is  a  valuable  instrument  for  conspirators ;  and 
when  we  least  expect  it  we  may  need  it.  Come,  Monsieur  de 
la  Mole." 


THE  AMBASSADORS.  389 


CHAPTER   XLIIL 

THE    AMBASSADORS. 

THE  following  day  the  entire  population  of  Paris  rushed 
towards  the  Faubourg  Saint  Antoine,  by  which  it  had  been 
decided  that  the  Polish  ambassadors  were  to  enter.  A  line  of 
Swiss  restrained  the  crowd,  and  a  regiment  of  horse  protected 
the  lords  and  the  ladies  of  the  court  who  rode  ahead  of  the 
procession. 

Soon,  near  the  Abbey  Saint  Antoine,  a  troop  of  cavaliers 
appeared,  dressed  in  red  and  yellow,  with  caps  and  furred 
mantles,  and  carrying  long  curved  sabres  like  Turkish  cimeters. 

The  officers  rode  at  the  side  of  the  lines. 

Behind  this  troop  came  a  second,  clothed  with  Oriental  mag- 
nificence. They  preceded  the  ambassadors,  who,  four  in 
number,  represented  in  a  gorgeous  manner  the  most  mytho- 
logical of  the  chivalrous  kingdoms  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

One  of  the  ambassadors  was  the  Bishop  of  Cracow.  His 
costume  was  half  ecclesiastical,  half  military,  resplendent  with 
gold  and  precious  stones. 

His  white  horse,  with  long  mane  and  tail,  walked  with 
proud  step  and  seemed  to  breathe  out  fire  from  his  nostrils. 
No  one  would  have  supposed  that  for  a  month  the  noble 
animal  had  made  fifteen  leagues  daily  over  roads  which  the 
weather  had  rendered  almost  impassable. 

Beside  the  bishop  rode  the  Palatine  Lasco,  a  powerful  noble, 
closely  related  to  the  royal  family,  as  rich  as  a  king  and  as 
proud. 

Behind  these  two  chief  ambassadors,  who  were  accompanied 
by  two  other  palatines  of  high  rank,  came  a  number  of  Polish 
lords,  whose  horses  in  their  harness  of  silk,  studded  with  golu 
and  precious  stones,  excited  the  applause  of  the  people.  The 
French  horsemen,  in  spite  of  their  rich  apparel,  were  completely 
eclipsed  by  the  newcomers,  whom  they  scornfully  called 
barbarians. 

Up  to  the  last  moment  Catharine  had  hoped  the  reception 
would  be  postponed  on  account  of  the  King's  illness.  But 
when  the  day  came,  and  she  saw  Charles,  as  pale  as  a  corpse, 
put  on  the  gorgeous  royal  mantle,  she  realized  that  appar- 
ently at  least  she  must  yield  to  his  iron  will,  and  began  to 


390  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

believe  that  after  all  the  safest  plan  for  Henry  of  Anjou  was 
to  accept  the  magnificent  exile  to  which  he  was  condemned. 
With  the  exception  of  the  few  words  he  had  uttered  when  he 
opened  his  eyes  as  his  mother  came  out  of  the  closet,  Charles 
had  not  spoken  to  Catharine  since  the  scene  which  had 
brought  about  the  illness  to  which  he  had  succumbed.  Every 
one  in  the  Louvre  knew  that  there  had  been  a  dreadful  alterca- 
tion between  mother  and  son,  but  no  one  knew  the  cause  of  it, 
and  the  boldest  trembled  before  that  coldness  and  silence,  as 
birds  tremble  before  the  calm  which  precedes  a  storm. 

Everything  had  been  prepared  in  the  Louvre,  not  as  though 
there  were  to  be  a  reception,  but  as  if  some  funeral  ceremony 
were  to  occur.  Every  one  had  obeyed  orders  in  a  gloomy  or 
passive  manner.  It  was  known  that  Catharine  had  almost 
trembled,  and  consequently  every  one  else  trembled. 

The  large  reception-hall  of  the  palace  had  been  prepared, 
and  as  such  ceremonies  were  usually  public,  the  guards  and 
the  sentinels  had  received  orders  to  admit  with  the  ambassa- 
dors as  many  people  as  the  apartments  and  the  courts  would 
hold.  As  for  Paris,  it  presented  the  same  aspect  that  every 
large  city  presents  under  similar  circumstances;  that  is,  con- 
fusion and  curiosity.  But  had  any  one  looked  closely  at  the 
population  that  day,  he  would  have  noticed,  among  the  groups 
of  honest  bourgeois  with  smiling  faces,  a  considerable  number 
of  men  in  long  cloaks,  who  exchanged  glances  and  signs 
when  at  a  distance,  and  when  they  met,  a  few  rapid  words  in 
a  low  tone.  These  men  seemed  greatly  occupied  with  the  pro- 
cession, followed  it  closely,  and  appeared  to  receive  their 
orders  from  an  old  man,  whose  sharp  black  eyes,  in  spite  of 
his  white  beard  and  grayish  eyebrows,  showed  a  vigorous  activ- 
ity. This  old  man,  either  by  his  own  efforts  or  by  those  of 
his  companions,  was  among  the  first  to  gain  admission  to  the 
Louvre,  and,  thanks  to  the  kindness  of  the  Swiss  guard,  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  a  place  behind  the  ambassadors,  opposite 
-Marguerite  and  Henry  of  Navarre. 

Henry,  informed  by  La  Mole  that  De  Mouy  would  be 
present  in  some  disguise  or  other,  looked  round  on  all  sides. 
At  last  his  eyes  encountered  those  of  the  old  man  and  held 
them. 

A  sign  from  De  Mouy  had  dispelled  all  doubt.  He  was 
so  changed  that  Henry  himself  was  doubtful  whether  this 
old  man  with  the  white  beard  could  be  the  intrepid  Huguenot 


THE  AMBASSADORS.  391 

chief  who  five  or  six  days  before  had  made  so  desperate  a 
defence. 

A  word  from  Henry  whispered  into  Marguerite's  ear  called 
the  attention  of  the  queen  to  De  Mouy.  Then  her  beautiful 
eyes  wandered  around  the  great  hall  in  search  of  La  Mole ; 
but  in  vain  —  La  Mole  was  not  there. 

The  speeches  began.  The  first  was  to  the  King.  Lasco,  in 
the  name  of  the  Diet,  asked  him  to  consent  that  the  crown  of 
Poland  be  offered  to  a  prince  of  the  house  of  France. 

Charles's  reply  was  short  and  to  the  point.  He  presented  his 
brother,  the  Due  d'Anjou,  whose  courage  he  praised  highly  to 
the  Polish  ambassadors.  He  spoke  in  French,  and  an  inter- 
preter translated  his  reply  at  the  end  of  each  sentence.  While 
the  interpreter  was  speaking,  the  King  was  seen  applying  a 
handkerchief  to  his  lips,  and  each  time  he  removed  it,  it  was 
covered  with  blood.  When  Charles's  reply  was  finished,  Lasco 
turned  to  the  Due  d:Anjou,  bowed,  and  began  a  Latin  address, 
in  which  he  offered  him  the  throne  in  the  name  of  the  Polish 
nation. 

The  duke  replied  in  the  same  language,  and  in  a  voice  he 
strove  in  vain  to  render  firm,  that  he  accepted  with  gratitude 
the  honor  which  was  offered  to  him.  While  he  spoke,  Charles 
remained  standing,  with  lips  compressed,  and  fixed  on  him 
eyes  as  calm  and  threatening  as  those  of  an  eagle. 

When  the  duke  had  finished,  Lasco  took  the  crown  of  the 
Jagellos  from  the  red  velvet  cushion  on  which  it  rested,  and 
while  two  Polish  nobles  placed  the  royal  mantle  on  the  duke, 
he  laid  the  crown  in  Charles's  hands. 

Charles  signed  to  his  brother,  the  Due  d'Anjou  knelt  down 
before  him,  and  with  his  own  hand  the  King  placed  the  crown 
on  his  brother's  head.  Then  the  two  kings  exchanged  one  of 
the  most  bitter  kisses  ever  exchanged  between  two  brothers. 

At  once  a  herald  cried  : 

"  Alexander  Edward  Henry  of  France,  Due  d'Anjou,  is 
crowned  King  of  Poland.  Long  live  the  King  of  Poland ! " 

The  entire  assembly  repeated  the  cry :  "  Long  live  the  King 
of  Poland ! "  Then  Lasco  turned  to  Marguerite.  The  dis- 
course of  the  beautiful  queen  had  been  reserved  for  the  last. 
Now,  as  it  was  a  compliment  accorded  her  in  order  to  display 
her  brilliant  talents,  as  they  were  called,  every  one  paid  great 
attention  to  the  reply,  which  was  in  Latin,  and  which,  as  we 
have  said,  Marguerite  had  composed  herself.  Lasco's  address 


392  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS.  ' 

was  more  of  a  eulogy  than  an  address.  He  had  yielded,  Sar- 
matian  that  he  was,  to  the  admiration  which  the  beautiful 
queen  of  Navarre  inspired  in  every  one.  He  had  borrowed  his 
language  from  Ovid ;  his  style  was  that  of  Ronsard.  He  said 
that  having  left  Varsovia  in  the  middle  of  a  very  dark  night, 
neither  he  nor  his  companions  would  have  been  able  to  find 
their  way,  had  they  not,  like  the  Magi,  been  guided  by  two 
stars  which  became  more  and  more  brilliant  as  they  drew 
nearer  to  France,  and  which  now  they  recognized  as  the  two 
beautiful  eyes  of  the  Queen  of  Navarre.  Finally,  passing  from 
the  Gospel  to  the  Koran,  from  Syria  to  Arabia,  from  Nazareth 
to  Mecca,  he  concluded  by  saying  that  he  was  quite  prepared 
to  do  what  the  ardent  votaries  of  the  prophet  did.  When 
they  were  fortunate  enough  to  see  his  tomb,  they  put  out 
their  eyes,  feeling  that  after  they  had  looked  at  such  a  sight, 
nothing  in  the  world  Avas  worth  being  admired. 

This  address  was  loudly  applauded  by  those  who  understood 
Latin  because  they  were  of  the  same  opinion  as  the  orator,  and 
by  those  who  did  not  understand  it  because  they  wished  to 
appear  as  though  they  did. 

Marguerite  made  a  gracious  courtesy  to  the  gallant  Sar- 
matian ;  then  fixing  her  eyes  on  De  Mouy,  began  her  reply  in 
these  words : 

"  Quod  nunc  hac  in  auld  insperati  adestis  exultaremus, 
ego  et  conjux,  nisi  ideo  immineret  calamitas,  scilicet  non  solum 
frairis  sed  etiam  amid  orbitas."  ] 

These  words  had  a  double  meaning,  and,  while  intended  for 
De  Mouy,  were  apparently  addressed  to  Henry  of  Anjou. 
The  latter,  therefore,  bowed  in  token  of  gratitude. 

Charles  did  not  remember  having  read  this  sentence  in  the 
address  which  had  been  submitted  to  him  some  days  before ; 
but  he  attached  no  importance  to  Marguerite's  words,  which 
he  knew  were  merely  conventional.  Besides,  he  understood 
Latin  very  imperfectly. 

Marguerite  continued : 

"  Adeo  dolemur  a  te  dividi  ut  tecum  proficisci  maluissemus. 
Sed  idem  fatum  quo  nunc  sine  ulld  mora  Lutetia  cederejuberis, 
hac  in  urbe  detinet.  Proficiscere  ergo,  frater ;  proficiscere, 

'Your  unlooked-for  presence  in  this  court  would  overwhelm  my  husband  and  my- 
self with  joy,  did  it  not  bring  with  it  a  great  misfortune,  that  is,  the  loss  not  only  of  a 
brother,  but  also  that  of  a  friend. 


THE  AMBASSADORS.  393 

amice  ;  proficiscere  sine  nobis  ;  proficiscentem  sequuntur  spes  et 
desideria  nostra."  l 

It  may  easily  be  imagined  that  De  Mouy  listened  with  the 
closest  attention  to  these  words  which,  although  addressed  to 
the  ambassadors,  were  intended  for  him  alone.  Two  or  three 
times  Henry  had  glanced  indifferently  over  his  shoulder  to 
intimate  to  the  young  Huguenot  that  D'Alenqon  had  refused ; 
but  the  act,  which  appeared  involuntary,  would  have  been  in- 
sufficient for  De  Mouy,  had  not  Marguerite's  words  confirmed  it. 

While  looking  at  Marguerite  and  listening  with  his  whole 
soul,  his  piercing  black  eyes  beneath  their  gray  brows  struck 
Catharine,  who  started  as  if  she  had  had  a  shock  of  electricity, 
and  who  did  not  remove  her  eyes  from  him. 

"  What  a  strange  face !  "  thought  she,  continuing  to  change 
her  expression  according  as  the  ceremony  required  it.  "  Who  is 
this  man  who  watches  Marguerite  so  attentively  and  whom 
Marguerite  and  Henry  on  their  part  look  at  so  earnestly  ? " 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  went  on  with  her  address,  which 
from  that  point  was  a  reply  to  the  courtesies  of  the  Polish  am- 
bassador. While  Catharine  was  racking  her  brain  to  discover 
the  name  of  this  fine  old  man  the  master  of  ceremonies  came 
up  behind  her  and  handed  her  a  perfumed  satin  bag  contain- 
ing a  folded  paper.  She  opened  the  bag,  drew  out  the  paper, 
and  read  these  words : 

"  By  the  aid  of  a  cordial  which  I  have  just  administered  to 
him  Maurevel  has  somewhat  recovered  his  strength,  and  has 
succeeded  in  'writing  the  name  of  the  man  who  was  in  the 
apartment  of  the  King  of  Navarre.  This  man  was  Monsieur 
de  Mouy." 

"  De  Mouy  ! "  thought  the  queen  ;  "  well,  I  felt  it  was  he. 
But  this  old  man —  ah  !  cospetto  !  —  this  old  man  is  "  — 

She  leaned  toward  the  captain  of  the  guard. 

"  Look,  Monsieur  de  Nancey,"  said  she, ll  but  without  attract- 
ing attention ;  look  at  Lasco  who  is  speaking.  Behind  him 
—  do  you  see  the  old  man  with  the  white  beard,  in  the  black 
velvet  suit  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,"  replied  the  captain. 

1  We  are  heartbroken  at  being  separated  from  you,  when  we  should  have  preferred 
going  with  you,  but  the  same  fate  which  decrees  that  you  unmt  leave  Purls  without 
delay,  retains  us  in  this  city.  Go,  therefore,  dear  brother;  go,  dear  friend;  go  without 
us.  Our  hopes  and  our  good  wishes  follow  you. 


394  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Well,  do  not  lose  sight  of  him." 

"  The  one  to  whom  the  King  of  Navarre  made  a  sign  just 
now  ?  " 

"  Exactly.  Station  yourself  at  the  door  of  the  Louvre  with 
ten  men,  and  when  he  comes  out  invite  him  in  the  King's 
name  to  dinner.  If  he  accepts,  take  him  into  some  room  in 
which  you  must  keep  him  a  prisoner.  If  he  resists,  seize  him, 
dead  or  alive." 

Fortunately  Henry,  who  had  been  paying  but  little  attention 
to  Marguerite's  address,  was  looking  at  Catharine,  and  had  not 
lost  a  single  expression  of  her  face.  Seeing  the  eyes  of  the 
queen  mother  fixed  so  earnestly  on  De  Mouy,  he  grew  uneasy  ; 
when  he  saw  her  give  an  order  to  the  captain  of  the  guard  he 
comprehended  everything. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  he  made  the  sign  which  had 
surprised  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  and  which  meant,  "  You  are  dis- 
covered, save  yourself !  " 

De  Mouy  understood  this  gesture,  which  was  a  fitting  climax 
to  the  portion  of  Marguerite's  address  intended  for  him.  He 
did  not  delay  an  instant,  but  mingled  with  the  crowd  and 
disappeared. 

Henry,  however,  was  not  easy  until  Monsieur  de  Nancey  had 
returned  to  Catharine,  and  he  saw  from  the  frown  on  the 
queen  mother's  face  that  the  captain  had  not  been  in  time. 

The  audience  was  over.  Marguerite  exchanged  a  few  un- 
official words  with  Lasco. 

The  King  staggered  to  his  feet,  bowed,  and  went  out,  leaning 
on  the  arm  of  Ambroise  Pare,  who  had  not  left  him  since  his 
illness. 

Catharine,  pale  with  anger,  and  Henry,  silent  from  disap- 
pointment, followed. 

As  to  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  he  had  scarcely  been  noticed  dur- 
ing the  ceremony,  and  not  once  had  Charles,  whose  eyes  had 
not  left  the  Due  d'Anjou,  glanced  at  him. 

The  new  King  of  Poland  felt  himself  lost.  Far  from  his 
mother,  carried  away  by  those  barbarians  of  the  north,  he  was 
like  Antaeus,  the  son  of  Terra,  who  lost  his  strength  when 
lifted  in  the  arms  of  Hercules.  Once  beyond  the  frontier  the 
Due  d'Anjou  felt  that  he  was  forever  excluded  from  the  throne 
of  France. 

Instead  of  following  the  King  he  retired  to  his  mother's 
apartments. 


ORESTES  AND  PYLADES.  395 

He  found  her  no  less  gloomy  and  preoccupied  than  himself, 
for  she  was  thinking  of  that  fine  mocking  face  she  had  not 
lost  sight  of  during  the  ceremony,  of  the  Bearnais  for  whom 
destiny  had  seemed  to  make  way,  sweeping  aside  kings,  royal 
assassins,  enemies,  and  obstacles. 

Seeing  her  beloved  son  pale  beneath  his  crown,  and  bent 
under  his  royal  mantle,  clasping  his  beautiful  hands  in  silence, 
and  holding  them  out  to  her  piteously,  Catharine  rose  and 
went  to  him. 

"  Oh,  mother,"  cried  the  King  of  Poland,  "  I  am  condemned 
to  die  in  exile  !  " 

"  My  son,"  said  Catharine,  "  have  you  so  soon  forgotten 
Rene's  prediction  ?  Do  not  worry,  you  will  not  have  to  stay 
there  long." 

"  Mother,  I  entreat  you,"  said  the  Due  d'Anjou,  "  if  there  is 
the  slightest  hint,  or  the  least  suspicion,  that  the  throne  of 
France  is  to  be  vacant,  send  me  word." 

"  Do  not  worry,  my  son,"  said  Catharine.  "  Until  the  day 
for  which  both  of  us  are  waiting,  there  shall  always  be  a  horse 
saddled  in  my  stable,  and  in  my  antechamber  a  courier 
ready  to  set  out  for  Poland." 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 

ORESTES    AND    PYLADES. 

HENRY  OF  ANJOU  having  departed,  peace  and  happiness 
seemed  to  have  returned  to  the  Louvre,  among  this  family  of 
the  Atrides. 

Charles,  forgetting  his  melancholy,  recovered  his  vigorous 
health,  hunting  with  Henry,  and  on  days  when  this  was  not 
possible  discussing  hunting  affairs  with  him,  and  reproaching 
him  for  only  one  thing,  his  indifference  to  hawking,  declaring 
that  he  would  be  faultless  if  he  knew  how  to  snare  falcons, 
gerfalcons,  and  hawks  as  well  as  he  knew  how  to  hunt  brocks 
and  hounds. 

Catharine  had  become  a  good  mother  again.  Gentle  to 
Charles  and  D'Alenqon,  affectionate  to  Henry  and  Marguerite, 
gracious  to  Madame  de  Nevers  and  Madame  de  Sauve  ;  and 
under  the  pretext  that  it  was  in  obedience  to  an  order  from  her 
that  he  had  been  wounded,  she  carried  her  amiabilities  so  far 


396  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

as  to  visit  Manrevel  twice  during  his  convalescence,  in  his 
house  in  the  Rue  de  la  Cerisaie. 

Marguerite  continued  to  carry  on  her  love  affair  after  the 
Spanish  fashion. 

Eveiy  evening  she  opened  her  window  and  by  gestures  and 
notes  kept  up  her  correspondence  with  La  Mole,  while  in  each 
of  his  letters  the  young  man  reminded  his  lovely  queen  of  her 
promise  of  a  few  moments  in  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  exile. 

Only  one  person  was  lonely  and  unhappy  in  the  now  calm 
and  peaceful  Louvre. 

This  was  our  friend  Count  Annibal  de  Coconnas. 

It  was  certainly  something  to  know  that  La  Mole  was  alive ; 
it  was  much  to  be  the  favorite  of  Madame  de  Nevers,  the 
most  charming  and  the  most  whimsical  of  women.  But  all 
the  pleasure  of  a  meeting  granted  him  by  the  beautiful 
duchess,  all  the  consolation  offered  by  Marguerite  as  to  the 
fate  of  their  common  friend,  did  not  compensate  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Piedmontese  for  one  hour  spent  with  La  Mole  at  their 
friend  La  Huriere's  before  a  bottle  of  light  wine,  or  for  one  of 
those  midnight  rambles  through  that  part  of  Paris  in  which  an 
honest  man  ran  the  risk  of  receiving  rents  in  his  flesh,  his 
purse,  or  his  clothes. 

To  the  shame  of  humanity  it  must  be  said  that  Madame  de 
Nevers  bore  with  impatience  her  rivalry  with  La  Mole. 

It  was  not  that  she  hated  the  Provincial ;  on  the  contrary, 
carried  away  by  the  irresistible  instinct  which,  in  spite  of  her- 
self, makes  every  woman  a  coquette  with  another  woman's 
lover,  especially  when  that  woman  is  her  friend,  she  had  not 
spared  La  Mole  the  flashes  of  her  emerald  eyes,  and  Coconnas 
might  have  envied  the  frank  handclasps  and  the  amiable  acts 
done  by  the  duchess  in  favor  of  his  friend  dxiring  those  days 
in  which  the  star  of  the  Piedmontese  seemed  growing  dim  in 
the  sky  of  his  beautiful  mistress ;  but  Coconnas,  who  would 
have  strangled  fifteen  persons  for  a  single  glance  from  his 
lady,  was  so  little  jealous  of  La  Mole  that  he  had  often  after 
some  indiscretions  of  the  duchess  whispered  certain  offers 
which  had  made  the  man  from  the  Provinces  blush. 

At  this  stage  of  affairs  it  happened  that  Henriette,  who  by 
the  absence  of  La  Mole  was  deprived  of  all  the  enjoyment 
she  had  had  from  the  company  of  Coconnas,  that  is,  his  never- 
ending  flow  of  spirits  and  fun,  came  to  Marguerite  one  day  to 


ORESTES  AND  PYLADES.  397 

beg  her  to  do  her  this  three-fold  favor  without  which  the 
heart  and  the  mind  of  Coconnas  seemed  to  be  slipping  away 
day  by  day. 

Marguerite,  always  sympathetic  and,  besides,  influenced  by 
the  prayers  of  La  Mole  and  the  wishes  of  her  own  heart,  ar- 
ranged a  meeting  with  Henriette  for  the  next  day  in  the  house 
with  the  double  entrance,  in  order  to  discuss  these  matters 
thoroughly  and  uninterruptedly. 

Coconnas  received  with  rather  bad  grace  the  note  from  Hen- 
riette, asking  him  to  be  in  the  Rue  Tizon  at  half-past  nine. 

Nevertheless  he  went  to  the  place  appointed,  where  he 
found  Henriette,  who  was  provoked  at  having  arrived  first. 

"  Fie,  Monsieur !  "  she  cried,  "  it  is  very  bad  to  make  —  I 
will  not  say  a  princess  —  but  a  lady  —  wait  in  this  way." 

"  Wait  ?  "  said  Coconnas,  "  what  an  idea !  I  '11  wager,  on  the 
contrary,  that  we  are  ahead  of  time." 

"  I  was." 

"  Well !  and  I  too ;  it  cannot  be  more  than  ten  o'clock  at 
the  latest." 

"  Well !  my  note  said  half-past  nine." 

"  Therefore  I  left  the  Louvre  at  nine  o'clock.  I  am  in  the 
service  of  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alengon,  be  it  said  in  passing, 
and  for  this  reason  I  shall  be  obliged  to  leave  you  in  an  hour." 

"  Which  pleases  you,  no  doubt  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed !  considering  the  fact  that  Monsieur  d'Alenqon 
is  an  ill-tempered  and  capricious  master ;  moreover,  if  I  am  to 
be  found  fault  with,  I  prefer  to  have  it  done  by  pretty  lips 
like  yours  rather  than  by  such  sullen  ones  as  his." 

"  Ah ! "  said  the  duchess,  "  that  is  a  little  better.  You 
say,  then,  that  you  left  the  Louvre  at  nine  o'clock." 

"  Yes,  and  with  every  idea  of  coming  directly  here,  when  at 
the  corner  of  the  Eue  de  Grenelle  I  saw  a  man  who  looked 
like  La  Mole." 

"  Good  !  La  Mole  again." 

"  Always,  with  or  without  permission." 

"  Brutal  man  !  " 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Coconnas,  "  we  are  going  to  begin  our  compli- 
mentary speeches  again." 

"  Not  at  all  ;   but  finish  your  story." 

"  I  was  not  the  one  who  wanted  to  tell  it.  It  was  you  who 
asked  me  why  I  was  late." 

u  Yes ;  was  it  my  place  to  arrive  first  ?  " 


398  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Well,  you  are  not  looking  for  any  one." 

"  You  are  growing  tiresome,  my  dear  friend ;  but  go  on.  At 
the  corner  of  the  Rue  de  Grenelle  you  saw  a  man  who  looked 
like  La  Mole  —  But  what  is  that  on  your  doublet  —  blood  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  here  is  more  which  was  probably  sprinkled  over 
me  a:s  he  fell." 

«  You  had  a  fight  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  so." 

"  On  account  of  your  La  Mole  ?  " 

"  On  whose  account  do  you  think  I  would  fight  ?  For  a 
woman  ?  " 

"  I  thank  you ! " 

"  So  I  followed  this  man  who  had  the  impudence  to  look  like 
rny  friend.  I  joined  him  in  the  Rue  Coquilliere,  I  overtook 
him,  and  stared  into  his  face  under  the  light  from  a  shop. 
But  it  was  not  La  Mole." 

"  Good  !  that  was  well  done." 

"  Yes,  but  he  did  not  think  so.  '  Monsieur,'  said  I  to  him, 
'  you  are  an  ass  to  take  it  upon  yourself  to  resemble  from  afar 
my  friend  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  who  is  an  accomplished  cava- 
lier ;  while  on  nearer  view  one  can  easily  perceive  that  you  are 
nothing  but  a  vagrant.'  Whereupon  he  drew  his  sword,  and 
I  mine.  At  the  third  pass  he  fell  down,  sprinkling  me  with 
his  blood." 

"  But  you  assisted  him  at  least  ?  " 

"  I  was  about  to  do  so  when  a  horseman  rode  by.  Ah  !  this 
time,  duchess,  I  was  sure  that  it  was  La  Mole.  Unfortunately 
he  was  galloping.  I  ran  after  him  as  hard  as  I  could,  and 
those  who  collected  around  to  see  the  fight  ran  behind  me. 
Now  as  I  might  easily  have  been  mistaken  for  a  thief,  fol- 
lowed as  I  was  by  all  that  rabble  shouting  at  my  heels,  I  was 
obliged  to  turn  back  to  scatter  them,  which  made  me  lose  a  lit- 
tle time.  In  the  meanwhile  the  rider  disappeared  ;  I  followed, 
inquired  of  every  one,  gave  the  color  of  the  horse ;  but  it  was 
useless  ;  no  one  had  noticed  him.  At  last,  tired  out  from  the 
chase,  I  came  here." 

"  Tired  of  the  chase  !  "  said  the  duchess.  "  How  flattering 
you  are ! " 

"  Listen,  dear  friend,"  said  Coconnas,  turning  nonchalantly 
in  his  chair.  "  You  are  going  to  bother  me  again  on  account  of 
poor  La  Mole.  Now,  you  are  wrong,  for  friendship,  you  see, 
—  I  wish  I  had  his  wit  or  knowledge,  I  would  then  find 


ORESTES  AND  PY LADES.  399 

some  comparison  which  would  make  you  understand  how  I 
feel  —  friendship,  you  see,  is  a  star,  while  love  —  love  — 
wait !  I  have  it !  —  love  is  only  a  candle.  You  will  tell  me 
there  are  several  varieties  "  — 

"  Of  love  ?  " 

"  No  !  of  candles,  and  that  some  are  better  than  others. 
The  rose,  for  instance,  is  the  best ;  but  rose  as  it  is,  the 
candle  burns  out,  while  the  star  shines  forever.  You  will 
answer  this  by  saying  that  when  the  candle  is  burned  out, 
another  is  put  in  its  place." 

"  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  you  are  a  goose." 

"  Indeed ! " 

"  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  you  are  impertinent." 

«  Ah  ?  " 

"Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  you  are  a  scoundrel." 

"  Madame,  I  warn  you  that  you  will  make  me  trebly  regret 
La  Mole." 

"  You  110  longer  love  me." 

"  On  the  contrary,  duchess,  you  do  not  know  it,  but  I  idolize 
you.  But  I  can  love  and  cherish  and  idolize  you,  and  yet  in 
my  spare  moments  praise  my  friend." 

"  So  you  call  the  time  spent  with  me  spare  moments,  do 
you  ?  " 

"  What  can  you  expect  ?  Poor  La  Mole  is  constantly  in  my 
thoughts." 

"  You  prefer  him  to  me  ;  that  is  shameful  !  and  I  detest  you, 
Annibal !  Why  not  be  frank,  and  tell  me  you  prefer  him  to 
me  ?  Annibal,  I  warn  you  of  one  thing  :  if  you  prefer  anything 
in  the  world  to  me  "  — 

"  Henriette,  the  loveliest  of  duchesses !  For  your  own 
peace  of  mind,  believe  me,  do  not  ask  such  unwise  questions. 
I  love  you  more  than  any  woman,  and  I  love  La  Mole  more 
than  any  man." 

"  Well  answered  !  "  said  a  strange  voice  suddenly.  A  dam- 
ask curtain  was  raised  in  front  of  a  great  panel,  which,  sliding 
back  into  the  wall,  opened  a  passage  between  the  two  rooms, 
and  showed  La  Mole  in  the  doorway,  like  one  of  Titian's  fine 
portraits  in  its  gilded  frame. 

"  La  Mole  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  without  paying  any  at- 
tention to  Marguerite  or  taking  the  time  to  thank  her  for  the 
surprise  she  had  arranged  for  him  ;  "  La  Mole,  my  friend,  my 
dear  La  Mole  !  "  and  he  rushed  into  the  arms  of  his  friend, 


400  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOTS. 

upsetting  the  armchair  in  which  he  had  been  sitting  and  the 
table  that  stood  in  his  way. 

La  Mole  returned  his  embrace  with  effusion ;  then,  turning 
to  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  : 

"  Pardon  me,  madame,  if  the  mention  of  my  name  has 
sometimes  disturbed  your  happiness."  "  Certainly,"  he  added, 
glancing  at  Marguerite  with  a  look  of  ineffable  tenderness, 
"  it  has  not  been  my  fault  that  I  have  not  seen  you  sooner." 

"  You  see,  Henriette,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  have  kept  my 
word  ;  here  he  is  !  " 

"  Is  it,  then,  to  the  prayers  of  Madame  la  Duchesse  that 
I  owe  this  happiness  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

"  To  her  prayers  alone,"  replied  Marguerite. 

Then,  turning  to  La  Mole,  she  continued : 

"La  Mole,  I  will  allow  you  not  to  believe  one  word  of  what 
I  say." 

Meanwhile  Coconnas  pressed  his  friend  to  his  heart  over 
and  over  again,  walked  round  him  a  dozen  times,  and  even 
held  a  candelabrum  to  his  face  the  better  to  see  him;  then 
suddenly  turning,  he  knelt  down  before  Marguerite  and  kissed 
the  hem  of  her  robe. 

"  Ah  !  that  is  pleasant !  "  said  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers.  "  I 
suppose  now  you  will  find  me  bearable." 

"  By  Heaven ! "  cried  Coconnas,  "  I  shall  find  you  as  ador- 
able as  ever ;  only  now  I  can  tell  you  so  with  a  lighter  heart., 
and  were  there  any  number  of  Poles,  Sarmatians,  and  other 
hyperborean  barbarians  present  I  should  make  them  all  admit 
that  you  were  the  queen  of  beauties." 

"  Gently,  gently,  Coconnas,"  said  La  Mole,  "  Madame 
Marguerite  is  here  ! " 

"Oh!  I  cannot  help  that,"  cried  Coconnas,  with  the  half- 
comic  air  which  belonged  to  him  alone,  "  I  still  assert  that 
Madame  Henriette  is  the  queen  of  beauties  and  Madame 
Marguerite  is  the  beauty  of  queens." 

But  whatever  he  might  say  or  do,  the  Piedmontese,  com- 
pletely carried  away  by  the  joy  of  having  found  his  dear  La 
Mole,  had  neither  eyes  nor  ears  for  any  one  but  him. 

"  Come,  my  beautiful  queen,"  said  Madame  de  Nevers, 
"  come,  let  us  leave  these  dear  friends  to  chat  awhile  alone. 
They  have  a  thousand  things  to  say  to  each  other  which 
would  be  interrupted  by  our  conversation.  It  is  hard  for  us, 
but  it  is  the  only  way,  I  am  sure,  to  make  Monsieur  Annibal 


ORESTES  AND  PYLADES.  401 

perfectly  sane.  Do  this  for  me,  my  queen !  since  I  am  foolish 
enough  to  love  this  worthless  fellow,  as  his  friend  La  Mole 
calls  him." 

Marguerite  whispered  a  few  words  to  La  Mole,  who,  anxious 
as  he  had  been  to  see  his  friend,  would  have  been  glad  had  the 
affection  of  Coconnas  for  him  been  less  exacting.  Meanwhile 
Coconnas  was  endeavoring  to  bring  back  a  smile  and  a  gentle 
word  to  Henrietta's  lips,  a  result  which  was  easily  attained. 
Then  the  two  women  passed  into  the  next  room,  where  supper 
was  awaiting  them. 

The  young  men  were  alone.  The  first  questions  Coconnas 
asked  his  friend  were  about  that  fatal  evening  which  had 
almost  cost  him  his  life.  As  La  Mole  proceeded  in  his  story 
the  Piedmontese,  who,  however,  was  not  easily  moved,  trembled 
in  every  limb. 

"  But  why,"  said  he,  "  instead  of  running  about  the  country 
as  you  have  done,  and  causing  me  such  uneasiness,  did  you 
not  seek  refuge  with  our  master  ?  The  duke  who  had  de- 
fended you  would  have  hidden  you.  I  should  have  been  near 
you  and  my  grief,  although  feigned,  would  nevertheless  have 
disturbed  every  simpleton  at  court." 

"  Our  master ! "  said  La  Mole,  in  a  low  voice,  "  the  Due 
d'Alenqon  ?  " 

"  Yes.  According  to  what  he  told  me,  I  supposed  it  was  to 
him  you  owed  your  life." 

"  I  owe  my  life  to  the  King  of  Navarre,"  replied  La  Mole. 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "  are  you  sure  ?  " 

"  Beyond  a  doubt." 

"  Oh  !  what  a  good,  kind  king  !  But  what  part  did  the  Due 
d'Alenqon  play  in  it  all  ?  " 

"  He  held  the  rope  to  strangle  me." 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  cried  Coconuas,  "  are  you  sure  of  what  you 
say,  La  Mole  ?  What !  this  pale-faced,  pitiful-looking  cur 
strangle  my  friend  !  Ah  !  by  Heaven,  by  to-morrow  I  will  let 
him  know  what  I  think  of  him." 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  " 

"That  is  true,  he  would  begin  again.  But  what  does  it 
matter  ?  Things  cannot  go  on  like  this." 

"  Come,  come,  Coconnas,  calm  yourself  and  try  and  remem- 
ber that  it  is  half-past  eleven  o'clock  and  that  you  are  on  duty 
to-night." 

u  What  do  I  care  about  my  duty  to  him  !     Bah  !     Let  him 


402  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

wait !  My  attendance  !  I  serve  a  man  who  has  held  a  rope  ? 
You  are  joking  !  No  !  This  is  providential ;  it  is  said  that  I 
should  find  you  to  leave  you  no  more.  I  shall  stay  here." 

"  Why,  man  alive,  think  what  you  are  saying.  You  are  not 
drunk,  I  hope." 

"  No,  fortunately  ;  if  I  were  I  would  set  fire  to  the  Louvre." 

"  Come,  Annibal,"  said  La  Mole,  "  be  reasonable.  Return 
to  your  duties.  Service  is  a  sacred  thing." 

"  Will  you  return  with  me  ?  " 

"  Impossible." 

"  Are  they  still  thinking  of  killing  you  ?  " 

"  I  think  not.  I  am  of  too  little  importance  for  them  to 
have  any  plot  on  hand  about  me.  For  an  instant  they  wanted 
to  kill  me,  but  that  was  all.  The  princes  were  on  a  frolic  that 
night." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  then  ?  " 

"  Nothing ;  wander  about  or  take  a  walk." 

"  Well,  I  will  walk,  too,  and  wander  with  you.  That  will 
be  charming.  Then,  if  you  are  attacked,  there  will  be  two  of 
us,  and  we  will  give  them  no  end  of  trouble.  Let  him  come, 
your  duke  !  I  will  pin  him.  to  the  wall  like  a  butterfly !  " 

"  But,  at  least,  say  that  you  are  going  to  leave  his  service  !  " 

"  Yes,  I  am." 

"  In  that  case,  tell  him  so." 

"  Well,  that  seems  only  right.  I  will  do  so.  I  will  write 
to  him." 

"  Write  to  him  !  That  would  be  discourteous,  Cocoiinas,  to  a 
prince  of  the  blood." 

"  Yes,  of  the  blood !  of  the  blood  of  my  friend.  Take  care," 
cried  Coconnas,  rolling  his  large,  tragic  eyes,  "  lest  I  trifle  with 
points  of  etiquette  !  " 

"  Probably,"  said  La  Mole  to  himself,  "  in  a  few  days  he  will 
need  neither  the  prince  nor  any  one  else,  for  if  he  wants  to 
come  with  us,  we  will  take  him." 

Thereupon  Coconnas  took  the  pen  without  further  opposi- 
tion from  his  friend  and  hastily  composed  the  following  speci- 
men of  eloquence : 

"  Monseigneur :  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  your  high- 
ness, versed  as  you  are  in  the  writings  of  all  authors  of  antiq- 
uity, must  know  the  touching  story  of  Orestes  and  Pylades, 
why  were  two  heroes  celebrated  for  their  misfortunes  and 


ORESTES  AND  PYLADES.  403 

their  friendship.  My  friend  La  Mole  is  no  less  unfortunate 
than  was  Orestes,  while  I  am  no  less  tender  than  Pylades. 
At  present  he  has  affairs  of  importance  which  demand  my  aid. 
It  is  therefore  impossible  for  me  to  leave  him.  So  with  the 
consent  of  your  highness  I  will  take  a  short  vacation,  deter- 
mined as  I  am  to  attach  myself  to  my  friend's  fortune,  whither- 
soever it  may  lead  me.  It  is  with  the  deepest  grief  that  I  tear 
myself  away  from  the  service  of  your  hiyhness,  but  for  this  1 
trust  I  may  obtain  your  pardon.  I  venture  to  subscribe  my- 
self with  respect,  my  lord, 

"  Your  highnesses  very    humble  and  very  obedient  servant, 
"  ANNIBAL,  COMTE  DE  COCONNAS, 

"  The  inseparable  friend  of  Monsieur  de  la  Mole." 

This  masterpiece  finished,  Coconnas  read  it  aloud  to  La 
Mole,  who  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Well !  what  do  you  say  to  it  ?  "  asked  Coconnas,  who  had 
not  seen  the  shrug,  or  who  had  pretended  not  to  see  it. 

"  I  say,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  that  Monsieur  d'Alenqon  will 
laugh  at  us." 

"  At  us  ?  " 

«  Both  of  us." 

"  That  will  be  better,  it  seems  to  me,  than  to  strangle  each  of 
us  separately." 

"  Bah  !  "  said  La  Mole,  laughing,  "  the  one  will  not  necessa- 
rily prevent  the  other." 

"  Well  !  so  much  the  worse.  Come  what  may,  I  will  send 
the  letter  to-morrow  morning.  Where  shall  we  sleep  when 
we  leave  here  ?  " 

"  At  Maitre  la  Huriere's,  in  that  little  room  in  which  you 
tried  to  stab  me  before  we  were  Orestes  and  Pylades !  " 

"  Very  well,  I  will  send  my  letter  to  the  Louvre  by  our  host." 

Just  then  the  panel  moved. 

"  Well ! "  asked  both  princesses  at  once,  "  where  are  Orestes 
and  Pylades  ?  " 

"  By  Heaven  !  madame,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  Pylades  and 
Orestes  are  dying  of  hunger  and  love." 

It  was  Maitre  la  Huriere  himself  who,  at  nine  o'clock  the 
following  morning,  carried  to  the  Louvre  the  respectful  missive 
of  Count  Annibal  de  Coconnas. 


404  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

CHAPTER    XLV. 

OKTHON. 

AFTER  the  refusal  of  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  which  left  every- 
thing in  peril,  even  his  life,  Henry  became  more  intimate  with 
the  prince  thaii  ever,  if  that  were  possible.  Catharine  con- 
cluded from  the  intimacy  that  the  two  princes  not  only  under- 
stood each  other  perfectly,  but  also  that  they  were  planning 
some  mutual  conspiracy.  She  questioned  Marguerite  on  the 
subject,  but  Marguerite  was  worthy  of  her  mother,  and  the 
Queen  of  Navarre,  whose  chief  talent  lay  in  avoiding  ex- 
planations, parried  her  mother's  questions  so  cleverly  that 
although  replying  to  all  she  left  Catharine  more  mystified 
than  ever. 

The  Florentine,  therefore,  had  nothing  to  guide  her  except 
the  spirit  of  intrigue  she  had  brought  with  her  from  Tuscany, 
the  most  interesting  of  the  small  states  of  that  period,  and  the 
feeling  of  hatred  she  had  imbibed  from  the  court  of  France, 
which  was  more  divided  in  its  interests  and  opinions  than  any 
court  at  that  time. 

She  realized  that  a  part  of  the  strength  of  the  Bearnais 
came  from  his  alliance  with  the  Due  d'Alengon,  and  she 
determined  to  separate  them. 

From  the  moment  she  formed  this  resolution  she  beset  her 
son  with  the  patience  and  the  wiles  of  an  angler,  who,  when 
he  has  dropped  his  bait  near  the  fish,  unconsciously  draws  it  in 
until  his  prey  is  caught. 

Francois  perceived  this  increase  of  affection  on  the  part 
of  his  mother  and  made  advances  to  her.  As  for  Henry,  he 
pretended  to  see  nothing,  but  kept  a  closer  watch  on  his  ally 
than  he  had  yet  done. 

Every  one  was  waiting  for  some  event. 

During  this  state  of  things,  one  morning  when  the  sun  rose 
clear,  giving  out  that  gentle  warmth  and  sweet  odor  which 
announce  a  beautiful  day,  a  pale  man,  leaning  on  a  cane,  and 
walking  with  difficulty,  came  out  of  a  small  house  situated 
behind  the  arsenal,  and  walked  slowly  along  the  Rue  du  Petit 
Muse. 

At  the  Porte  Saint  Antoine  he  turned  into  the  street  which 
encircles  the  moat  of  the  Bastille  like  a  marsh,  left  the  boule- 


ORTHON.  405 

vard  on  his  left  and  entered  the  Archery  Garden,  where  the 
gatekeeper  received  him  with  every  mark  of  respect. 

There  was  no  one  in  the  garden,  which,  as  its  name  implies, 
belonged  to  a  particular  society  called  the  Taxopholites.  Had 
there  been  any  strollers  there  the  pale  man  would  have  merited 
their  sympathy,  for  his  long  mustache,  his  military  step  and 
bearing,  though  weakened  by  suffering,  sufficiently  indicated 
that  he  was  an  officer  who  had  been  recently  wounded,  and 
who  was  endeavoring  to  regain  his  strength  by  moderate  exer- 
cise in  the  open  air. 

Yet,  strange  to  say,  when  the  cloak  opened  in  which,  in 
spite  of  the  increasing  heat,  this  apparently  harmless  man 
was  wrapped,  it  displayed  a  pair  of  long  pistols  suspended 
from  the  silver  clasps  of  his  belt.  This  belt  also  sustained  a 
dagger  and  a  sword  so  enormously  long  that  it  seemed  almost 
impossible  to  be  handled,  and  which,  completing  this  living 
arsenal,  clattered  against  his  shrunken  and  trembling  legs. 

As  an  additional  precaution  the  lonely  soldier  glanced 
around  at  every  step  as  though  to  question  each  turn  of  the 
path,  each  bush  and  ditch. 

Having  entered  the  garden  without  being  molested,  the  man 
reached  a  sort  of  small  arbor,  facing  the  boulevard,  from 
which  it  was  separated  by  a  thick  hedge  and  a  small  ditch 
which  formed  a  double  inclosure.  He  threw  himself  upon  a 
grassy  bank  within  reach  of  a  table  on  which  the  host  of  the 
establishment,  who  combined  with  his  duties  as  gatekeeper  the 
vocation  of  cook,  at  once  placed  a  bottle  of  cordial. 

The  invalid  had  been  there  about  ten  minutes  and  had 
several  times  raised  the  china  cup  to  his  lips,  taking  little 
sips  of  its  contents,  when  suddenly  his  countenance,  in  spite 
of  its  interesting  pallor,  assumed  a  startled  expression.  From 
the  Croix  Faubin,  along  a  path  which  to-day  is  the  Hue  de 
Naples,  he  had  perceived  a  cavalier,  wrapped  in  a  great  cloak, 
stop  near  the  moat. 

Not  more  than  five  minutes  had  elapsed,  during  which  the 
man  of  the  pale  face,  whom  the  reader  has  perhaps  already 
recognized  as  Maurevel,  had  scarcely  had  time  to  recover  from 
the  emotion  caused  by  his  unexpected  presence,  when  the 
horseman  was  joined  by  a  man  in  a  close-fitting  coat,  like  that 
of  a  page,  who  came  by  the  road  which  is  since  known  as  the 
Rue  des  Fosses  Saint  Nicholas. 

Hidden  in  his  leafy  arbor,  Maurevel  could  easily  see  and 


406  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

hear  everything,  and  when  it  is  known  that  the  cavalier  was 
De  Mouy  and  the  young  man  iii  the  tight-fitting  cloak  Orthon, 
one  may  imagine  whether  Maurevel's  eyes  and  ears  were  not 
on  the  alert. 

Both  men  looked  very  carefully  around.  Maurevel  held  his 
breath. 

"  You  may  speak,  monsieur,"  said  Orthon,  who  being  the 
younger  was  the  more  confident ;  "  no  one  can  either  see  or 
hear  us." 

"  That  is  well,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  you  are  to  go  to  Madame 
de  Sauve,  and  if  you  find  her  in  her  rooms  give  her  this  note. 
If  she  is  not  there,  you  will  place  it  behind  the  mirror  where 
the  king  is  in  the  habit  of  putting  his  letters.  Then  you  will 
wait  in  the  Louvre.  If  you  receive  an  answer,  you  will  bring 
it  you  know  where  ;  if  no  reply  is  sent,  you  will  meet  me  this 
evening  with  a  petronel  at  the  spot  I  showed  you,  and  from 
which  I  have  just  come." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Orthon,  "  I  understand." 

"  I  will  now  leave  you.  I  have  much  to  do  to-day.  You 
need  make  no  haste  —  there  is  no  use  in  it,  for  you  do  not  need 
to  reach  the  Louvre  until  he  is  there,  and  I  think  he  is  taking 
a  lesson  in  hawking  this  morning.  Now  go,  and  show  me 
what  you  can  do.  You  have  recovered,  and  you  apparently 
are  going  to  thank  Madame  de  Sauve  for  her  kindness  to  you 
during  your  illness.  Now  go,  my  boy." 

Maurevel  listened,  his  eyes  fixed,  his  hair  on  end,  his  fore- 
head covered  with  perspiration.  His  first  impulse  had  been 
to  detach  one  of  his  pistols  from  his  belt  and  aim  at  De  Mouy ; 
but  a  movement  of  the  latter  had  opened  his  cloak  and  dis- 
played a  firm  and  solid  cuirass.  Therefore  in  all  probability  the 
ball  would  flatten  itself  against  this  cuirass  or  strike  some  part 
of  the  body  wherein  the  wound  would  not  be  fatal.  Besides,  he 
reflected  that  De  Mouy,  strong  and  well  armed,  would  have  an 
advantage  over  him,  wounded  as  he  was.  So  with  a  sigh  he 
drew  back  the  weapon  which  he  had  pointed  at  the  Huguenot. 

"  How  unfortunate,"  he  murmured,  "  that  I  am  unable  to 
stretch  him  dead  on  the  spot,  without  other  witness  than  that 
young  varlet  who  would  have  been  such  a  good  mark  for  my 
second  ball ! " 

But  Maurevel  thought  that  the  note  given  to  Orthon  and 
which  he  was  to  deliver  to  Madame  de  Sauve  might  perhaps 
be  of  more  importance  than  the  life  of  the  Huguenot  chief. 


ORTHON.  407 

"  Well  !  "  said  he,  "  you  have  escaped  me  again  this  morn- 
ing ;  be  it  so.  To-morrow  I  will  have  my  turn  at  you  if  I  have 
to  follow  you  into  that  hell  from  which  you  have  come  to  ruin 
me,  unless  I  destroy  you. 

De  Mouy  raised  his  cloak  over  his  face,  and  set  out  rapidly 
in  the  direction  of  the  Temple.  Orthon  took  the  road  along 
the  moat  which  led  to  the  banks  of  the  river. 

Then  Maurevel,  rising  with  more  energy  and  vigor  than  he 
had  dared  to  hope  for,  regained  the  Rue  de  la  Cerisaie,  reached 
his  home,  ordered  a  horse  to  be  saddled,  and  weak  as  he  was 
and  at  the  risk  of  opening  his  wounds  again,  set  off  at  a  gallop 
to  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine,  reached  the  quays,  and  entered  the 
Louvre. 

Five  minutes  after  he  had  passed  under  the  gate  Catharine 
knew  all  that  had  just  taken  place,  and  Maurevel  had  received 
the  thousand  golden  crowns  promised  him  for  the  arrest  of 
the  King  of  Navarre. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Catharine,  "  either  I  arn  mistaken  or  this  De 
Mouy  is  the  black  spot  that  was  discovered  by  Rene  in  the 
horoscope  of  the  accursed  Bearnais." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  after  Maurevel  Orthon  entered  the 
Louvre,  showed  himself  as  De  Mouy  had  directed,  and  went 
to  the  apartments  of  Madame  de  Sauve,  after  having  spoken 
to  several  attendants  of  the  palace. 

Dariole  was  the  only  one  in  her  mistress's  rooms.  Catharine 
had  asked  the  latter  to  write  certain  important  letters,  and 
she  had  been  with  the  queen  for  the  last  five  minutes. 

"  No  matter,''  said  Orthon,  "  I  will  wait." 

Taking  advantage  of  his  intimacy  in  the  house,  the  young 
man  went  into  the  sleeping-room  of  the  baroness,  and,  having 
assured  himself  that  he  was  alone,  he  laid  the  note  behind  the 
mirror.  Just  as  he  was  removing  his  hand  Catharine  entered. 

Orthon  turned  pale,  for  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  quick, 
searching  glance  of  the  queen  mother  was  first  directed  to  the 
mirror. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here,  my  little  man  ?  "  asked  Catharine  ; 
"  looking  for  Madame  de  Sauve  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame ;  it  is  a  long  time  since  I  saw  her,  and  if  I 
delay  any  longer  in  thanking  her  I  fear  she  will  think  me 
ungrateful." 

"  You  love  this  dear  Charlotte  very  much,  do  you  not  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart,  madame  ! " 


408  MARGUERITE    DE    VALO1S. 

"  And  you  are  faithful,  from  what  I  hear." 

"  Your  majesty  will  understand  that  this  is  very  natural 
when  you  know  that  Madame  de  Sauve  took  more  care  of  me 
than  I,  being  only  an  humble  servant,  deserved." 

"  And  upon  what  occasion  did  she  bestow  all  this  care  on 
you  ?  "  asked  Catharine,  pretending  to  be  ignorant  of  what 
had  happened  to  the  youth. 

"  When  I  was  wounded,  madame." 

"  Ah,  poor  boy  !  "  said  Catharine,  "  you  were  wounded  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  When  was  that  ?  " 

"  The  night  they  tried  to  arrest  the  King  of  Navarre.  I  was 
so  terrified  at  sight  of  the  soldiers  that  I  called  and  shouted  ; 
and  one  of  the  men  gave  me  a  blow  on  the  head  which  knocked 
nie  senseless." 

"  Poor  boy  !     And  are  you  quite  recovered  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  So  that  you  are  trying  to  get  back  into  the  service  of  the 
King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  No,  madame.  When  the  King  of  Navarre  learned  that  I 
had  dared  to  resist  your  majesty's  order  he  dismissed  me  at 
once." 

"  Indeed  !  "  said  Catharine,  in  a  tone  full  of  interest ;  "  well, 
I  will  see  to  that  affair.  But  if  you  are  waiting  for  Madame 
de  Sauve  you  will  wait  in  vain,  for  she  is  occupied  in  my 
apartments." 

Whereupon,  thinking  that  Orthon  perhaps  had  not  had  time 
to  hide  his  note  behind  the  mirror,  Catharine  stepped  into  the 
adjoining  room  in  order  to  give  him  the  necessary  opportunity. 

But  just  as  Orthon,  anxious  at  the  unexpected  arrival  of  the 
queen  mother,  was  wondering  whether  her  coming  did  not  for- 
bode  some  plot  against  his  master,  he  heard  three  gentle  taps 
against  the  ceiling.  This  was  the  signal  which  he  himself  was 
in  the  habit  of  giving  his  master  in  case  of  danger  when  the 
latter  was  with  Madame  de  Sauve  and  Orthon  was  keeping 
guard. 

He  started  at  the  sound ;  a  light  broke  upon  his  mind ;  he 
fancied  that  this  time  the  warning  had  been  given  to  him. 
Springing  to  the  mirror,  he  removed  the  note  he  had  just 
placed  there. 

Through  an  opening  in  the  tapestry  Catharine  had  followed 
every  movement  of  the  boy.  She  saw  him  dart  to  the  mirror, 


ORTHON.  409 

but  she  did  not  know  whether  it  was  to  hide  the  note  or  take 
it  away. 

"  Well !  "  murmured  the  impatient  Florentine  ;  "  why  does 
he  not  leave  now  ?  " 

And  she  returned  to  the  room  smiling. 

"  Still  here,  my  boy  ?  "  said  she  ;  "  why,  what  do  you  want  ? 
Did  I  not  tell  you  that  I  would  look  after  your  fortune  ? 
When  I  say  a  thing  you  do  not  doubt  it,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  madame,  God  forbid !  "  replied  Orthon. 

And  approaching  the  queen,  he  bent  his  knee,  kissed  the 
hem  of  her  robe,  and  at  once  withdrew. 

As  he  went  through  the  antechamber  he  saw  the  captain  of 
the  guards,  who  was  waiting  for  Catharine.  The  sight  of  this 
man,  instead  of  allaying  his  suspicions,  augmented  them. 

On  her  part,  no  sooner  had  she  seen  the  curtains  fall  behind 
Orthon  than  Catharine  sprang  to  the  mirror.  But  in  vain  she 
sought  behind  it  with  hands  trembling  with  impatience.  She 
found  no  note. 

And  yet  she  was  sure  that  she  had  seen  the  boy  approach 
the  mirror.  It  was  to  remove  the  note,  therefore,  and  not  to 
leave  it.  Fate  had  given  to  her  enemies  a  strength  equal  to 
her  own. 

A  child  had  become  a  man  the  moment  he  fought  with  her. 

She  moved  the  mirror,  looked  behind  it,  tapped  it ;  nothing 
was  there ! 

"  Oh !  unhappy  boy  !  "  cried  she,  "  I  wished  him  no  ill  and 
now  by  removing  the  note  he  hastens  his  destiny.  Ho, 
there,  Monsieur  de  Nancey  !  " 

The  vibrating  tones  of  the  queen  mother  rang  through  the 
salon  and  penetrated  into  the  anteroom,  where,  as  we  have  said, 
Monsieur  de  Kancey  was  waiting. 

The  captain  of  the  guards  hastened  to  the  queen. 

"  Here  I  am,  madame,"  said  he,  "  what  is  your  majesty's 
will  ?  " 

"  Have  you  been  in  the  antechamber  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Did  you  see  a  young  man,  a  child,  pass  through  ?  " 

"  Just  now." 

"  He  cannot  have  gone  far,  can  he  ?  " 

"  Scarcely  to  the  stairway." 

«  Call  him  back." 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  " 


410  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Orthon.  If  he  refuses  to  come  bring  him  back  by  force ; 
but  do  not  frighten  him  unless  he  resists.  I  must  speak  to 
him  at  once." 

The  captain  of  the  guards  hurriedly  withdrew. 

As  he  had  said,  Orthon  was  scarcely  half  way  down  the 
stairs,  for  he  was  descending  slowly,  hoping  to  meet  or  see  the 
King  of  Navarre  or  Madame  de  Sauve  somewhere. 

He  heard  his  name  and  gave  a  start. 

His  first  impulse  was  to  run,  but  with  forethought  beyond 
his  years  he  realized  that  by  doing  so  all  would  be  lost. 

He  stopped  therefore. 

«  Who  calls  me  ?  " 

"  I,  Monsieur  de  Nancey,"  replied  the  captain  of  the  guards, 
hurrying  down  the  stairs. 

"  But  I  am  in  haste,''*  said  Orthon. 

"  By  order  of  her  majesty  the  queen  mother,"  said  Monsieur 
de  Nancey,  as  he  came  up  to  him. 

The  youth  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  brow  and  turned 
back. 

The  captain  followed. 

Catharine's  first  idea  had  been  to  stop  the  young  man,  have 
him  searched,  and  take  possession  of  the  note  which  she  knew 
he  had.  She  had  planned  to  accuse  him  of  theft,  and  with 
this  end  in  view  she  had  removed  from  the  toilet  table  a 
diamond  clasp  which  she  was  going  to  say  he  had  taken. 

But  on  reflection  she  concluded  that  this  would  be  dangerous, 
in  that  it  would  arouse  the  boy's  suspicions  and  he  would  in- 
form his  master,  who  would  then  begin  to  mistrust  something, 
and  so  her  enemy  would  gain  an  advantage  over  her. 

She  could,  no  doubt,  have  the  young  man  taken  to  some  dun- 
geon, but  the  rumor  of  the  arrest,  however  secretly  it  might  be 
done,  would  spread  through  the  Louvre,  and  the  slightest  ink- 
ling of  it  would  put  Henry  on  his  guard.  However,  she  must 
have  the  note,  for  a  note  from  Monsieur  de  Mouy  to  the  King 
of  Navarre,  a  note  sent  with  such  precautions,  surely  meant  con- 
spiracy. 

She  put  back  the  clasp  from  where  she  had  taken  it. 

"  No,  no,"  said  she,  "  that  would  be  the  method  of  a  guard ; 
it  is  poor.  But  for  a  note  —  which  perhaps  after  all  is  not 
worth  the  trouble,"  she  continued,  frowning,  and  speaking  so 
low  that  she  herself  could  scarcely  hear  the  sound  of  her 
words.  "  Well,  it  is  not  my  fault,  but  his.  Why  did  not  the 


ORTHON.  411 

little  scoundrel  put  the  note  where  he  should  have  put  it  ?  I 
must  have  this  letter." 

Just  then  Orthon  entered. 

Catharine's  face  wore  such  a  terrible  expression  that  the 
youth  stopped  on  the  threshold  pale  as  death.  He  was  still 
too  young  to  be  perfect  master  of  himself. 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  "  you  have  done  me  the  honor  of  calling 
me  back.  In  what  can  I  serve  your  majesty?" 

Catharine's  face  lighted  up  as  if  a  ray  of  sunlight  had 
touched  it. 

"  I  called  you  back,  my  child,"  said  she,  "  because  your  face 
pleases  me,  and  having  promised  to  help  you  I  am  anxious  to 
do  so  without  delay.  We  queens  are  sometimes  accused  of 
being  forgetful.  But  this  is  not  on  account  of  our  hearts,  but 
because  our  minds  are  filled  with  business.  Now  I  remem- 
bered that  kings  hold  men's  fortunes  in  their  hands,  and  so  I 
called  you  back.  Follow  me,  my  child." 

Monsieur  de  Nancey,  who  was  taking  the  affair  seriously, 
was  greatly  surprised  at  Catharine's  affectionate  manner. 

"  Can  you  ride,  my  child  ?  "  asked  Catharine. 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Then  come  into  my  room.  I  want  to  give  you  a  message 
to  carry  to  Saint  Germain." 

"  I  am  at  your  majesty's  command." 

"  Order  a  horse  to  be  saddled,  De  Nancey." 

Monsieur  de  Nancey  disappeared. 

"  Come,  boy,"  said  Catharine,  leading  the  way. 

Orthon  followed.  The  queen  mother  descended  to  the  next 
floor,  entered  the  corridor  in  which  were  the  apartments  of  the 
king  and  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  reached  the  winding  staircase, 
again  descended  a  flight  of  stairs,  and  opened  a  door  leading 
to  a  circular  gallery  to  which  none  but  the  king  and  herself 
possessed  the  key.  Bidding  Orthon  pass  in  first,  she  entered 
after  him  and  locked  the  door.  This  gallery  formed  a  sort  of 
rampart  to  a  certain  portion  of  the  apartments  of  the  king  and 
the  queen  mother,  and,  like  the  corridor  of  the  castle  of  Saint 
Angelo  at  Rome,  or  that  of  the  Pitti  Palace  at  Florence,  was 
a  safe  place  in  case  of  danger.  The  door  locked,  Catharine 
was  alone  with  the  young  man  in  the  dark  corridor.  Each 
advanced  a  few  steps,  the  queen  leading  the  way,  Orthon 
following. 

Suddenly   Catharine  turned  and  Orthon  again  saw  on  her 


412  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

face  the  same  sinister  expression  which  he  had  seen  on  it  a 
few  minutes  before.  Her  eyes  were  as  round  as  those  of  a 
cat  or  a  panther  and  seemed  to  dart  forth  fire  in  the  darkness. 

"  Stop ! "  she  cried. 

Orthon  felt  a  shiver  run  through  him  ;  a  deathly  cold  like 
an  icy  cloak  seemed  to  fall  from  the  ceiling.  The  floor  felt 
like  the  covering  of  a  tomb.  Catharine's  glance  was  so  sharp 
that  it  seemed  to  penetrate  to  the  very  soul  of  the  page.  He 
recoiled  and  leaned  against  the  wall,  trembling  from  head  to 
foot. 

"  Where  is  the  note  you  were  charged  to  give  to  the  King 
of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  The  note  ?  "  stammered  Orthon. 

"  Yes  ;  which,  if  you  did  not  find  him,  you  were  to  place 
behind  the  mirror  ?  " 

"  I,  madame,"  said  Orthon,  "  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean." 

"  The  note  which  De  Mouy  gave  you  an  hour  ago,  behind 
the  Archery  Garden." 

"  I  have  no  note,"  said  Orthon ;  "  your  majesty  must  be 
mistaken." 

"  You  lie,"  said  Catharine ;  "  give  me  the  note,  and  I  will 
keep  the  promise  I  made  you." 

"  What  promise,  madame  ?  " 

"  I  will  make  your  fortune." 

"  I  have  no  note,  madame,"  repeated  the  child. 

Catharine  ground  her  teeth ;  then  assuming  a  smile  : 

"  Give  it  to  me,"  said  she,  "  and  you  shall  have  a  thousand 
golden  crowns." 

"  I  have  no  note,  madame." 

"  Two  thousand  crowns." 

"  Impossible ;  since  I  have  no  note,  how  can  I  give  it  to 
you  ?  " 

"  Ten  thousand  crowns,  Orthon." 

Orthon,  who  saw  the  anger  of  the  queen  rising,  felt  that  there 
was  only  one  way  of  saving  his  master,  and  that  was  to  swal- 
low the  note.  He  put  his  hand  to  his  pocket,  but  Catharine 
guessed  his  intention  and  stopped  him. 

"  There,  my  child,"  said  she,  laughing,  "  you  are  certainly 
faithful.  When  kings  wish  to  attach  a  follower  to  them  there 
is  no  harm  in  their  making  sure  of  his  trustworthiness.  Here, 
take  this  purse  as  a  first  reward.  Go  and  carry  your  note  to 
your  master,  and  tell  him  that  from  to-day  you  are  in  my  ser- 


CATHARINE   SEIZED    THE    LETTER  AND    MADE    SURE   THAT     IT   WAS   THE 
ONE  SHE    DESIRED. 


ORTHON.  413 

vice.  You  can  get  out  without  me  by  the  door  we  entered. 
It  opens  from  within." 

And  giving  the  purse  to  the  astonished  youth  Catharine 
walked  on  a  few  steps  and  placed  her  hand  against  the  wall. 

But  the  young  man  stood  still,  hesitating.  He  could  not 
believe  that  the  danger  he  had  felt  hovering  over  him  was 
gone. 

"  Come,  do  not  tremble  so/'  said  Catharine.  "  Have  I  not 
told  you  that  you  were  free  to  go,  and  that  if  you  wish  to 
come  back  your  fortune  is  made  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  madarne,"  said  Orthon.  "  Then  you  pardon 
me?" 

"  I  do  more,  I  reward  you ;  you  are  a  faithful  bearer  of 
notes,  a  gentle  messenger  of  love.  But  you  forget  your  master 
is  waiting  for  you." 

"  Ah  !  that  is  true,"  said  the  young  man,  springing  towards 
the  door. 

But  scarcely  had  he  advanced  three  steps  before  the  floor 
gave  way  beneath  his  feet.  He  stumbled,  extended  both 
hands,  gave  a  fearful  cry,  and  disappeared  in  the  dungeon  of 
the  Louvre,  the  spring  of  which  Catharine  had  just  touched. 

"  So,"  murmured  the  queen,  "  thanks  to  the  fellow's  obstinacy 
I  shall  have  to  descend  a  hundred  and  fifty  steps." 

The  queen  mother  returned  to  her  apartments,  lighted  a 
dark  lantern,  came  back  to  the  corridor,  closed  the  spring,  and 
opened  the  door  of  a  spiral  staircase  which  seemed  to  lead  to 
the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Urged  on  by  the  insatiable  thirst  of 
a  curiosity  which  was  but  the  minister  of  her  hatred,  she 
reached  an  iron  door  which  turned  on  its  hinges  and  admitted 
her  to  the  depths  of  the  dungeon.  Bleeding,  crushed,  and 
mutilated  by  a  fall  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  but  still  breath- 
ing, lay  poor  Orthon. 

Beyond  the  thick  wall  the  waters  of  the  Seine  were  heard 
roaring,  brought  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  by  a  subterranean 
channel. 

Catharine  entered  the  damp  and  unwholesome  place,  which 
during  her  reign  had  witnessed  many  a  fall  similar  to  the  one 
it  had  just  seen,  searched  the  body,  seized  the  letter,  made 
sure  that  it  was  the  one  she  desired,  then  pushing  aside  the 
body  with  her  foot  she  pressed  a  spring,  the  bottom  of  the 
dungeon  sank,  and  the  corpse,  carried  down  by  its  own  weight, 
disappeared  in  the  direction  of  the  river. 


414  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Closing  the  door  again,  Catharine  ascended,  shut  herself 
in  her  closet,  and  read  the  note,  which  contained  these  words  : 

"  This  evening  at  ten  o'clock,  Hue  de  VArbre  Sec,  Hotel  de 
la  Belle  Etoile.  If  you  come  send  no  reply  ;  otherwise  send 
back  NO  by  the  bearer. 

"  DE  MOUY  DE  SAINT  PHALE." 

As  Catharine  read  this  note  a  smile  came  to  her  lips.  She 
was  thinking  of  the  victory  she  was  to  gain,  forgetting  the 
price  at  which  she  had  bought  it.  But  after  all  what  was 
Orthon  ?  A  faithful,  devoted  follower,  a  handsome  young  boy  ; 
that  was  all. 

That,  one  may  well  imagine,  would  not  for  an  instant  have 
turned  the  scales  on  which  the  fate  of  empires  had  been 
weighed. 

The  note  read,  Catharine  at  once  went  to  Madame  de  Sauve's 
and  placed  it  behind  the  mirror. 

As  she  came  down  she  found  the  captain  of  the  guards  at 
the  entrance  of  the  corridor. 

"  Madame,"  said  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  "  according  to  your 
majesty's  orders  the  horse  is  ready." 

"  My  dear  baron,"  said  Catharine,  "  we  shall  not  need  it. 
I  have  made  the  boy  speak,  and  he  is  really  too  stupid  to  be 
charged  with  the  errand  I  wanted  to  entrust  to  him.  I  thought 
he  was  a  lackey,  but  he  is  nothing  but  a  groom  at  best.  I  gave 
him  some  money  and  dismissed  him  by  the  private  gate." 

"But,"  said  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  "the  errand?" 

"  The  errand  ?  "  asked  Catharine. 

"  The  one  on  which  he  was  to  go  to  Saint  Germain.  Does 
your  majesty  wish  me  to  undertake  it,  or  shall  I  have  one  of 
my  men  attend  to  it  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  said  Catharine,  "  this  evening  you  and  your  men 
will  have  something  else  to  do." 

Whereupon  the  queen  mother  returned  to  her  room,  hoping 
that  evening  to  hold  in  her  hands  the  fate  of  the  accursed 
King  of  Navarre. 


THE  INN  OF  LA   BELLE  ETOILE.  415 

CHAPTER   XLVI. 

THE    INN    OF    LA    BELLE    ETOILE. 

Two  hours  after  the  event  we  have  described,  no  trace  of 
which  remained  on  Catharine's  face,  Madame  de  Sauve,  having 
finished  her  work  for  the  queen,  returned  to  her  own  rooms. 
Henry  followed  her,  and  learning  from  Dariole  that  Orthon 
had  been  there  he  went  directly  to  the  mirror  and  found  the 
note. 

It  was,  as  we  have  said,  couched  in  these  terms : 

"  This  evening  at  ten  o'clock,  Rue  de  I'Arbre  Sec,  Hotel  de 
la  Belle  Etoile.  If  you  come  send  no  reply  ;  otherwise  send 
back  NO  by  the  bearer." 

There  was  no  address. 

"  Henry  will  not  fail  to  keep  the  appointment,"  said  Catha- 
rine, "  for  even  had  he  not  wished  to  do  so  there  is  no  longer 
a  messenger  to  take  back  his  answer." 

Catharine  was  not  mistaken. 

Henry  inquired  for  Orthon.  Dariole  said  that  he  had  gone 
out  with  the  queen  mother ;  but  as  the  note  had  been  found  in 
its  place,  and  as  the  poor  boy  was  known  to  be  incapable  of 
treason,  Henry  felt  no  anxiety. 

He  dined  as  usual  at  the  table  of  the  King,  who  joked  him 
greatly  on  the  mistakes  he  had  made  while  hawking  that 
morning. 

Henry  made  excuses  for  himself,  saying  that  he  came  from 
the  mountains  and  not  the  plain,  but  he  promised  Charles 
to  study  the  art.  Catharine  was  charming,  and  on  leaving  the 
table  begged  Marguerite  to  pass  the  evening  with  her. 

At  eight  o'clock  Henry  took  two  attendants,  left  by  the 
Porte  Saint  Honore,  made  a  long  circuit,  returned  by  the  Tour 
de  Bois,  and  crossing  the  Seine  at  the  ferry  of  Xesle,  rode  up 
the  Rue  Saint  Jacques,  where  he  dismissed  his  gentlemen,  as  if 
he  were  going  to  keep  some  love  appointment.  At  the  corner 
of  the  Rue  des  Mathurins  he  found  a  man  on  horseback, 
wrapped  in  a  cloak.  He  approached  him. 

"  Mantes !  "  said  the  man. 

"  Pau  !  "  replied  the  king. 


416  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

The  man  at  once  dismounted.  Henry  put  on  his  splashed 
mantle,  mounted  the  horse,  which  was  covered  with  foam,  re- 
turned by  the  Rue  de  la  Harpe,  crossed  the  Pont  Saint  Michel, 
passed  down  the  Rue  Barthelemy,  again  crossed  the  river  at 
the  Pont  aux  Meuniers,  descended  the  quays,  took  the  Rue  de 
1'Arbre  Sec,  and  knocked  at  the  door  of  Maitre  la  Huriere's. 

La  Mole  was  in  a  room  writing  a  long  love-letter  —  to  whom 
may  easily  be  imagined. 

Coconnas  was  in  the  kitchen  with  La  Huriere,  watching  half 
a  dozen  partridges  roasting,  and  disputing  with  his  friend 
the  host  as  to  when  they  should  be  removed  from  the  spit. 
At  this  moment  Henry  knocked.  Gregoire  opened  the  door  and 
led  the  horse  to  the  stable,  while  the  traveller  entered,  stamp- 
ing on  the  floor  as  if  to  warm  his  benumbed  feet. 

"  Maitre  La  Huriere,"  said  La  Mole,  as  he  continued  to 
write,  "  here  is  a  gentleman  asking  for  you." 

La  Huriere  advanced,  looked  at  Henry  from  head  to  foot, 
and  as  his  thick  cloth  mantle  did  not  inspire  the  innkeeper 
with  very  great  veneration  : 

"Who  are  you  ?'"  he  asked. 

"  Well,  by  Heaven  !  "  said  Henry,  pointing  to  La  Mole, 
"  monsieur  has  just  told  you ;  I  am  a  gentleman  from  Gascony 
come  to  court." 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  A  room  and  supper." 

"  Humph  ! "  said  La  Huriere,  "  have  you  a  lackey  ?  " 

This  was  the  question  usually  asked,  as  is  well  known. 

"  No,"  replied  Henry,  "  but  I  hope  to  have  one  when  I  make 
my  fortune." 

"  I  do  not  let  rooms  to  any  one  unless  he  has  a  lackey,"  said 
La  Huriere. 

"  Even  if  I  offered  to  pay  you  double  for  your  supper  ?  " 

"  Oh !  you  are  very  generous,  worthy  sir  !  "  said  La  Huriere, 
looking  suspiciously  at  Henry. 

"  Not  at  all,  but,  hoping  to  pass  the  night  in  your  hotel, 
which  has  been  highly  recommended  by  a  nobleman  from  my 
county  who  has  been  here,  I  invited  a  friend  to  sup  with  me. 
Have  you  any  good  wine  of  Arbois  ?  " 

"  I  have  some  which  is  better  than  the  King  of  Navarre 
drinks." 

"  Good  !  I  will  pay  well  for  it.     Ah  !   here  is  my  friend." 

Just  then  the  door  opened  and  a  gentleman  entered  older  by 


THE  INN  OF  LA   BELLE  ETOILE.  417 

a  few  years  than  the  first,  and  dragging  a  long  rapier  at-  his 
side. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  he,  "  you  are  prompt,  my  young  friend.  For 
a  man  who  has  just  made  two  hundred  leagues  it  is  something 
to  be  so  punctual." 

"  Is  this  your  guest  ?  "  asked  La  Huriere. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  first,  going  up  to  the  young  man  with  the 
rapier  and  shaking  him  by  the  hand,  "  we  will  have  our  sup- 
per now." 

"  Here  or  in  your  room  ?  " 

"  Wherever  you  please." 

"  Maitre,"  said  La  Mole  to  La  Huriere,  "  rid  us  of  these 
Huguenot  fellows.  Coconnas  and  I  cannot  say  a  word  before 
them." 

"  Carry  the  supper  to  room  No.  2,  on  the  third  floor.  Up- 
stairs, gentlemen." 

The  two  travellers  followed  Gregoire,  who  preceded  them 
with  lights. 

La  Mole  watched  them  until  they  had  disappeared.  Then 
turning  round  he  saw  Coconnas,  whose  head  was  thrust  out  of 
the  kitchen  door.  Two  great  eyes  and  an  open  mouth  gave  to 
the  latter's  face  a  remarkable  expression  of  astonishment. 

La  Mole  stepped  up  to  him. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  said  Coconnas,  "  did  you  see  ?  " 

"  What  ?  " 

"  Those  two  gentlemen." 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  I  would  swear  that  it  was  "- 

«  Who  ?  " 

"  Why  —  the  King  of  Navarre  and  the  man  in  the  red  cloak." 

"  Swear  if  you  will,  but  not  too  loud." 

"  Did  you  recognize  them  too  ?  " 

«  Certainly." 

"  What  are  they  here  for  ?  " 

"  Some  love  affair." 

"  You  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  La  Mole,  I  prefer  sword-thrusts  to  these  love  affairs.  I 
would  have  sworn  a  moment  ago,  now  I  will  bet." 

"  What  will  you  bet  ?  " 

"  That  there  is  some  plot  on  hand." 

"  You  are  mad." 


418  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  I  tell  you  "  - 

"  I  tell  you  that  even  if  they  are  plotting  it  is  their  own 
affair." 

"  That  is  true.  However,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  no  longer  be- 
long to  Monsieur  d'Alen^on.  So  let  them  do  as  they  see  fit." 

As  the  partridges  had  apparently  reached  the  state  in  which 
Coconnas  liked  them,  the  Piedmontese,  who  counted  on  making 
the  most  of  his  dinner  of  them,  called  Maitre  la  Huriere  to 
remove  them  from  the  spit. 

Meantime  Henry  and  De  Mouy  were  installed  in  their 
chamber. 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  when  Gregoire  had  set  the 
table,  "  have  you  seen  Orthon  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  I  found  the  note  he  left  behind  the  mirror.  The 
boy  must  have  become  frightened,  I  suppose,  for  Queen  Catha- 
rine came  in  while  he  was  there,  so  he  went  away  without 
waiting  for  my  answer." 

"  For  a  moment  I  felt  somewhat  anxious  about  him,  as  Da- 
riole  told  me  that  the  queen  mother  had  had  a  long  talk  with 
him." 

"  Oh  !  there  is  no  danger.  The  boy  is  clever,  and  although 
the  queen  mother  knows  his  profession  he  will  not  let  her  find 
out  much  from  him,  I  am  sure." 

"  But  have  you  seen  him,  De  Mouy  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  No,  but  I  expect  to  this  evening.  At  midnight  he  is  to 
come  here  for  me  with  a  good  petronel.  He  will  tell  me  what 
happened  as  we  walk  along." 

"  And  the  man  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  des  Mathurins  ?  " 

"  What  man  ?  " 

"  The  man  who  gave  me  his  horse  and  cloak.  Are  you  sure 
of  him  ?  " 

"  He  is  one  of  our  most  devoted  followers.  Besides,  he 
neither  knows  your  majesty  nor  why  he  himself  was  there." 

"  Can  we  discuss  our  affairs  without  fear,  then  ?  " 

"  Certainly.     Besides,  La  Mole  is  on  the  watch." 

"  Well,  sire,  what  says  Monsieur  d'Alen^on  ?  " 

"Monsieur  d'Alengon  will  not  go,  De  Mouy.  He  said  so 
positively.  The  election  of  D'Anjou  to  the  throne  of  Poland 
and  the  'king's  illness  have  changed  his  mind."  . 

"  So  he  is  the  one  who  spoiled  our  plan  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Has  he  betrayed  us  ?  " 


THE  INN  OF  LA   BELLE  ETOILE.  419 

"  Not  yet ;  but  he  will  do  so  at  the  first  opportunity." 

"  Coward  !  traitor  !     Why  did  he  not  answer  my  letters  ?  " 

"  In  order  to  have  proofs  against  you,  and  none  against  him- 
self. Meantime,  all  is  lost,  is  it  not,  De  Mouy  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  sire,  all  is  won.  You  know  that  the 
whole  party,  except  the  faction  of  the  Prince  de  Conde,  was 
for  you,  and  used  the  duke,  with  whom  it  seemed  to  have 
relations,  only  as  a  safeguard.  Well,  since  the  day  of  the 
ceremony  I  have  arranged  so  that  everything  is  for  you.  One 
hundred  men  were  enough  to  escape  with  the  Due  d'Alen- 
qon  ;  I  have  raised  fifteen  hundred.  In  one  week  they  will  be 
ready  and  dvawn  up  on  the  road  to  Pau.  It  will  not  be  a 
flight  but  a  retreat.  Fifteen  hundred  men  will  suffice,  sire, 
will  they  not  ?  Shall  you  feel  safe  with  such  an  army  ?  " 

Henry  smiled  and  touched  him  on  the  shoulder. 

"  You  know,  De  Mouy/'  said  he, "  and  you  alone  know  it,  that 
Henry  of  Navarre  is  not  naturally  such  a  coward  as  is  sup- 
posed." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,  sire  ;  and  I  trust  before  long  that  all 
France  will  know  it  too." 

"  But  where  one  plots  one  must  succeed.  The  first  condi- 
tion of  success  is  decision  ;  and  for  decision  to  be  rapid,  frank, 
and  to  the  point,  one  must  be  sure  of  success." 

"  Well,  sire,  what  days  do  you  hunt  ?  " 

"  Every  week  or  ten  days  we  either  hunt  or  hawk." 

"  When  did  you  hunt  last  ?  " 

"  To-day." 

"  Then  a  week  or  ten  days  from  now  you  will  hunt  again  ?  " 

"  No  doubt ;  possibly  before  then." 

"  Listen,  sire ;  everything  seems  perfectly  quiet.  The  Due 
d' Anjou  has  left ;  no  one  thinks  of  him.  The  King  is  getting 
better  every  day.  The  persecution  against  us  has  almost 
ceased.  Play  the  amiable  with  the  queen  mother  and  Mon- 
sieur d'Alenqon ;  keep  telling  him  that  you  cannot  go  with- 
out him,  and  try  to  make  him  believe  you,  which  is  more 
difficult." 

"  Do  not  worry,  he  will  believe  me." 

"  Do  you  think  he  has  such  confidence  in  you  ?  " 

"  No,  God  forbid,  but  he  believes  everything  the  queen  says." 

"  And  is  the  queen  true  to  us  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  I  have  proof  of  it.  Besides,  she  is  ambitious  and  is 
dying  for  this  far-off  crown  of  Navarre." 


420  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Well !  three  days  before  the  hunt  send  me  word  where  it 
will  take  place  —  whether  it  is  to  be  at  Bondy,  at  Saint  Ger- 
main, or  at  E-ambouillet.  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  will  ride  ahead 
of  you  ;  follow  him,  and  ride  fast.  Once  out  of  the  forest  if 
the  queen  mother  wants  you  she  will  have  to  run  after  you ; 
and  I  trust  that  her  Norman  horses  will  not  see  even  the 
hoofs  of  our  Barbary  steeds  and  our  Spanish  ponies." 

"  Agreed,  De  Mouy." 

"  Have  you  any  money,  sire  ?  " 

Henry  made  the  same  grimace  he  made  all  his  life  at  this 
question. 

"Not  much,"  said  he  ;  "but  I  think  Margot  has  some." 

"  Well !  whether  it  is  yours  or  hers,  bring  as  much  as  you 
can." 

"  And  in  the  meantime  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Having  paid  some  attention  to  your  majesty's  affairs,  as 
you  see,  will  your  majesty  permit  me  to  devote  a  little  time 
to  my  own  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  De  Mouy,  certainly,  but  what  are  yours  ?  " 

"  Yesterday  Orthon  told  me  (he  is  a  very  intelligent  boy, 
whom  I  recommend  to  your  majesty)  that  he  met  that  scoun- 
drel of  a  Maurevel  near  the  arsenal,  that  thanks  to  Rene  he 
has  recovered,  and  that  he  was  warming  himself  in  the  sun 
like  the  snake  that  he  is." 

"  Ah,  yes,  I  understand,"  said  Henry. 

"  Very  good,  then.  You  will  be  king  some  day,  sire,  and 
if  you  have  anything  such  as  I  have  to  avenge  you  can  do  so 
in  a  kingly  way.  I  am  a  soldier  and  must  avenge  myself  like 
a  soldier.  So  while  all  our  little  affairs  are  being  arranged, 
which  will  give  that  scoundrel  five  or  six  days  in  which  to 
recover  more  fully,  I  too  shall  take  a  stroll  around  the  arsenal, 
and  I  will  pin  him  to  the  grass  with  four  blows  of  my  rapier, 
after  which  I  shall  leave  Paris  with  a  lighter  heart." 

"  Attend  to  your  affairs,  my  friend,  by  all  means,"  said  the 
Bearnais.  "  By  the  way,  you  are  pleased  with  La  Mole,  are  you 
not  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  he  is  a  charming  fellow,  devoted  to  you  body  and 
soul,  sire,  and  on  whom  you  can  depend  as  you  can  on  me  — 
brave  "  — 

"  And  above  all,  discreet.  So  he  must  follow  us  to  Navarre, 
De  Mouy ;  once  there  we  will  look  about  and  see  what  we  can 
do  to  recompense  him." 


THE  INN  OF  LA   BELLE  ETOILE.  421 

As  Henry  concluded  these  words  with  a  sly  smile,  the  door 
opened  or  rather  was  broken  in,  and  the  man  they  had  just 
been  praising  appeared,  pale  and  agitated. 

"  Quick,  sire,"  cried  he ;  "  quick,  the  house  is  surrounded." 

"  Surrounded  !  "  cried  Henry,  rising ;  "  by  whom  ?  " 

"By  the  King's  guards." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  De  Mouy,  drawing  his  pistols  from  his  belt, 
"  we  are  to  have  a  battle,  apparently." 

"  Well,"  said  La  Mole,  "  you  may  well  talk  of  pistols  and 
battle,  but  what  can  you  do  against  fifty  men  ?  " 

"  He  is  right,"  said  the  king ;  "  and  if  there  were  any 
means  of  escape  " 

"  There  is  one  which  has  already  been  of  use  to  me,  and  if 
your  majesty  will  follow  me  "  — 

"  And  De  Mouy  ?  " 

"  And  De  Mouy  too  if  he  wishes,  but  you  must  be  quick." 

Steps  were  heard  on  the  stairs. 

"  It  is  too  late,"  said  Henry. 

"  Ah  !  if  any  one  would  only  engage  them  for  five  minutes," 
cried  La  Mole,  "  I  would  save  the  king." 

"  Save  him,  then,  monsieur,"  said  De  Mouy  ;  "  I  will  look 
after  them.  Go,  sire,  go." 

"  But  what  shall  you  do  ?  " 

"  Do  not  fear,  sire,  but  go." 

And  De  Mouy  began  by  hiding  the  king's  plate,  napkin,  and 
goblet,  so  that  it  might  seem  as  though  he  had  been  alone  at 
table. 

"  Come,  sire,  come,"  cried  La  Mole,  seizing  the  king  by  the 
arm  and  dragging  him  towards  the  stairway. 

"  De  Mouy,  my  brave  De  Mouy  ! "  exclaimed  Henry,  holding 
out  his  hand  to  the  young  man. 

De  Mouy  kissed  the  hand,  pushed  Henry  from  the  room,  and 
closed  and  bolted  the  door  after  him. 

"  Yes,  I  understand,"  said  Henry,  "  he  will  be  caught, 
while  we  escape ;  but  who  the  devil  can  have  betrayed 
us?" 

"  Come,  sire,  come.     They  are  on  the  stairs." 

In  fact,  the  light  of  the  torches  was  beginning  to  be  seen  on 
the  wall,  while  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  sounds  like  the  clank- 
ing of  swords  were  heard. 

"  Quick,  quick,  sire  !  "  cried  La  Mole. 

And,  guiding  the  king  in  the  darkness,  he  ascended  two  flights, 


422  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

pushed  open  a  door,  which  he  locked  behind  him,  and,  opening 
the  window  of  a  closet : 

"  Sire,"  said  he,  "  is  your  majesty  very  much  afraid  of  a  walk 
across  the  roofs  ?  " 

"  I  ?  "  said  Henry,  "  come,  now ;  am  I  not  a  chamois  hunter  ?  " 

"  Well,  your  majesty  must  follow  me.  I  know  the  way  and 
will  guide  you." 

"  Go  on,"  said  Henry,  "  I  will  follow." 

La  Mole  stepped  out,  went  along  the  ledge,  which  formed  a 
sort  of  gutter,  at  the  end  of  which  they  came  to  a  depression 
between  two  roofs.  In  this  way  they  reached  an  open  window 
leading  to  an  empty  garret. 

"  Sire,"  said  La  Mole,  "  here  we  are  at  the  opening." 

"  Ah  !  so  much  the  better,"  said  Henry,  wiping  the  perspira- 
tion from  his  pale  face. 

"  Now,"  said  La  Mole,  "  it  will  be  easier  :  this  garret  opens 
on  to  a  stairway,  the  stairway  leads  to  an  alley,  and  the  alley 
to  the  street.  I  travelled  the  same  road,  sire,  on  a  much  more 
terrible  night  than  this." 

"  Go  on,  go  on,"  said  Henry. 

La  Mole  sprang  through  the  open  window,  reached  the  un- 
locked door,  opened  it,  came  to  a  winding  stairway,  and  placing 
in  the  king's  hand  the  cord  that  served  as  a  baluster  : 

"Come,  sire,"  said  he. 

Half  way  down  the  stairs  Henry  stopped.  He  was  before 
a  window  which  overlooked  the  courtyard  of  the  Belle  Etoile. 
On  the  opposite  stairway  soldiers  were  seen  running,  some 
carrying  swords,  others  torches. 

Suddenly  in  the  midst  of  a  group  the  King  of  Navarre  per- 
ceived De  Mouy.  He  had  surrendered  his  sword  and  was 
quietly  descending  the  stairs. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  said  Henry,  "  so  brave  and  devoted  !  " 

"  Faith,  sire,"  said  La  Mole,  "  your  majesty  is  right.  He 
certainly  does  seem  calm  ;  and  see,  he  even  laughs  !  It  must 
be  that  he  is  planning  some  scheme,  for  you  know  he  seldom 
laughs." 

"  And  the  young  man  who  was  with  you  ?  " 

"  Monsieur  de  Coconnas  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

"  Yes;   what  has  become  of  him  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  sire,  I  am  not  anxious  about  him.  On  seeing  the 
soldiers  he  said  only  one  word  to  me :  '  Do  we  risk  anything  ? ' 

"  (  Our  heads,'  I  answered. 


DE  MOUY  DE  SAINT  PHALE.  423 

"  '  Can  you  escape  ?  ' 

"  '  I  hope  so.' 

" l  Well,  I  can  too,'  he  replied.  And  I  promise  you  he  will ! 
Sire,  when  Coconnas  is  caught  it  will  be  because  he  wishes  to 
be  caught." 

"  Then,"  said  Henry,  "  all  is  well.  Let  us  try  to  get  back 
to  the  Louvre." 

"  That  will  be  easy  enough,  sire,"  said  La  Mole.  "  Let  us 
wrap  ourselves  in  our  cloaks  and  start.  The  street  is  full  of 
people  running  to  see  the  commotion,  and  we  shall  be  taken 
for  spectators." 

The  gate  was  open  and  Henry  and  La  Mole  encountered  no 
obstacle  beyond  the  crowds  in  the  street. 

They  reached  the  Rue  d'Avernon ;  but  in  passing  by  the 
Rue  Poulies  they  saw  De  Mouy  and  his  escort  cross  the  Place 
Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois,  led  by  the  captain  of  the  guards, 
Monsieur  de  Nancey. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Henry,  "  they  are  taking  him  to  the  Louvre,  ap- 
parently. The  devil !  the  gates  will  be  closed.  They  will 
take  the  names  of  all  those  who  enter,  and  if  I  am  seen  return- 
ing after  him  they  will  think  I  have  been  with  him." 

"  Well !  but,  sire,"  said  La  Mole,  "  enter  some  other  way 
than  by  the  gate." 

"  How  the  devil  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Well,  sire,  there  is  the  Queen  of  Navarre's  window." 

"  Venire  saint  gris,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  Henry, 
"  you  are  right.  I  never  thought  of  that !  But  how  can  I  at- 
tract the  attention  of  the  queen  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  said  La  Mole,  bowing  with  an  air  of  respectful  grati- 
tude, "your  majesty  throws  stones  so  well !" 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

DE    MOUY    DE    SAINT    PHALE. 

THIS  time  Catharine  had  taken  such  precautions  that  she 
felt  sure  of  her  object. 

Consequently,  about  ten  o'clock  she  sent  away  Marguerite, 
thoroughly  convinced,  as  was  the  case,  that  the  Queen  of  Na- 
varre was  ignorant  of  the  plot  against  her  husband,  and  went 
to  the  King,  begging  him  not  to  retire  so  early. 


424  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Mystified  by  the  air  of  triumph  which,  in  spite  of  her  usual 
dissimulation,  appeared  on  his  mother's  face,  Charles  ques- 
tioned Catharine,  who  merely  answered : 

"  I  can  say  only  one  thing  to  your  Majesty  :  that  this  even- 
ing you  will  be  freed  from  two  of  your  bitterest  enemies." 

Charles  raised  his  eyebrows  like  a  man  who  says  to  himself : 

"  That  is  well ;  we  shall  see  ;  "  and  whistling  to  his  great 
boar-hound,  who  came  to  him  dragging  his  belly  along  the 
ground  like  a  serpent  to  lay  his  fine  and  intelligent  head  on 
his  master's  knee,  he  waited.  At  the  end  of  a  few  minutes, 
during  which  Catharine  sat  with  eyes  and  ears  alert,  a  pistol- 
shot  was  heard  in  the  courtyard  of  the  Louvre. 

"  What  is  that  noise  ?  "  asked  Charles,  frowning,  while  the 
hound  sprang  up  and  pricked  his  ears. 

"Nothing  except  a  signal,"  said  Catharine  ;  "that  is  all." 

"  And  what  is  the  meaning  of  the  signal  ?  " 

"  It  means  that  from  this  moment,  sire,  your  one  real  enemy 
can  no  longer  injure  you." 

"  Have  they  killed  a  man  ? "  asked  Charles,  looking  at 
his  mother  with  that  look  of  command  which  signifies  that 
assassination  and  mercy  are  two  inherent  attributes  of  royal 
power. 

"  No,  sire,  they  have  only  arrested  two." 

"  Oh !  "  murmured  Charles,  "  always  hidden  plots,  always 
conspiracies  around  the  King.  And  yet,  the  devil !  mother,  I 
am  grown  up,  and  big  enough  to  look  out  for  myself.  I  need 
neither  leading-strings  nor  padded  caps.  Go  to  Poland  with 
your  son  Henry  if  you  wish  to  reign ;  I  tell  you  you  are 
wrong  to  play  this  kind  of  game  here." 

"  My  son,"  said  Catharine,  "  this  is  the  last  time  I  shall  med- 
dle with  your  affairs.  But  the  enterprise  in  which  you  have 
always  thwarted  me  was  begun  long  ago,  and  I  have  earnestly 
endeavored  to  prove  to  your  Majesty  that  I  am  right." 

At  that  moment  several  men  stopped  in  the  outer  hall  and 
the  butt-ends  of  muskets  were  heard  on  the  pavement.  Almost 
at  the  same  instant  Monsieur  de  Nancey  begged  an  audience 
of  the  King. 

"  Let  him  enter,"  said  Charles,  hastily. 

Monsieur  de  Nancey  appeared,  saluted  the  King,  and  turn- 
ing to  Catharine  said  : 

"  Madame,  your  majesty's  orders  are  executed ;  he  is  cap- 
tured." 


DE  MOUY  DE  SAINT  PHALE.  425 

"  What  he  ?  "  cried  Catharine,  greatly  troubled.  "  Have  you 
arrested  only  one  ?  " 

"  He  was  alone,  madame  ?  " 

«  Did  he  defend  himself  ?  " 

"  No,  he  was  supping  quietly  in  a  room,  and  gave  up  his 
sword  the  moment  it  was  demanded." 

"  Who  ?  "  asked  the  King. 

"  You  shall  see,"  said  Catharine.  "  Bring  in  the  prisoner, 
Monsieur  de  Nancey." 

Five  minutes  later  De  Mouy  was  there. 

"  De  Mouy  ! "  cried  the  King  ;  "  what  is  the  matter  now, 
monsieur  ?  " 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  with  perfect  composure,  "  if 
your  Majesty  will  allow  me  the  liberty,  I  will  ask  the  same 
of  you." 

"  Instead  of  asking  this  question  of  the  King,"  said 
Catharine,  "  have  the  kindness,  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  to  tell  rny 
sou  who  was  the  man  found  in  the  chamber  of  the  King  of 
Navarre  a  certain  night,  and  who  on  that  night  resisted  the 
orders  of  his  Majesty  like  the  rebel  that  he  is,  killed  two 
guards,  and  wounded  Monsieur  de  Maurevel  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  frowning,  "  do  you  know  the  name  of 
that  man,  Monsieur  de  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire  ;  does  your  Majesty  wish  to  hear  it  ?  " 

"  That  will  please  me,  I  admit." 

"  Well,  sire,  he  is  called  De  Mouy  de  Saint  Phale." 

"  It  was  you  ?  " 

"  It  was  I." 

Catharine,  astonished  at  this  audacity,  recoiled  a  step. 

"  How  did  you  dare  resist  the  orders  of  the  King  ?  "  asked 
Charles. 

"  In  the  first  place,  sire,  I  did  not  know  that  there  was  an 
order  from  your  Majesty  ;  then  I  saw  only  one  thing,  or  rather 
one  man,  Monsieur  de  Maurevel,  the  assassin  of  my  father  and 
of  the  admiral.  I  remembered  that  a  year  and  a  half  ago,  in 
the  very  room  in  which  we  now  are,  on  the  evening  of  the  24th 
of  August,  your  Majesty  promised  me  to  avenge  us  on  the 
murderer,  and  as  since  that  time  very  grave  events  have 
occurred  I  thought  that  in  spite  of  himself  the  King  had 
changed  his  mind.  Seeing  Maurevel  within  reach,  I  believed 
Heaven  had  sent  him  to  me.  Your  Majesty  knows  the  rest. 


426  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

Sire,  I  sprang  upon  him  as  upon  an  assassin  and  fired  at  his 
men  as  I  would  have  fired  at  bandits." 

Charles  made  no  reply.  His  friendship  for  Henry  had  for 
some  time  made  him  look  at  many  things  in  a  different  light 
from  which  he  had  at  first  seen  them,  and  more  than  once 
with  terror. 

In  regard  to  Saint  Bartholomew  the  queen  mother  had 
registered  in  her  memory  remarks  which  had  fallen  from  her 
son's  lips  and  which  resembled  remorse. 

"  But,"  observed  Catharine,  "  what  were  you  doing  at  that 
hour  in  the  apartments  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Oh  ! "  replied  De  Mouy,  "  it  is  a  long  story,  but  if  his 
Majesty  has  the  patience  to  listen" 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles  ;  "  speak,  I  wish  to  hear  it." 

"  I  will  obey,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  bowing. 

Catharine  sat  down,  fixing  an  anxious  look  on  the  young 
chief. 

"  We  are  listening,"  said  Charles.     "  Here,  Acteon  !  " 

The  dog  resumed  the  place  he  had  occupied  before  the 
prisoner  had  been  admitted. 

"  Sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  I  came  to  his  majesty  the  King  of 
Navarre  as  the  deputy  of  our  brethren,  your  faithful  subjects 
of  the  reformed  religion." 

Catharine  signed  to  Charles  IX. 

"  Be  quiet,  mother,"  said  the  latter.  "  I  do  not  lose  a  word. 
Go  on,  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  go  on ;  why  did  you  come  ?  " 

"  To  inform  the  King  of  Navarre,"  continued  Monsieur  de 
Mouy,  "  that  his  abjuration  had  lost  for  him  the  confidence  of 
the  Huguenot  party ;  but  that,  nevertheless,  in  remembrance 
of  his  father,  Antoine  de  Bourbon,  and  especially  on  account 
of  his  mother,  the  courageous  Jeanne  d'Albret,  whose  name  is 
dear  among  us,  the  followers  of  the  reformed  religion  owed 
him  this  mark  of  deference,  to  beg  him  to  desist  from  his 
claims  to  the  crown  of  Navarre." 

"  What  did  he  say  ? "  asked  Catharine,  unable  in  spite  of 
her  self-control  to  receive  this  unexpected  blow  calmly. 

"  Ah  !  ah  ! "  said  Charles,  "  and  yet  this  crown  of  Navarre, 
which  without  my  permission  has  been  made  to  jump  from 
head  to  head,  seems  to  belong  a  little  to  me." 

"  The  Huguenots,  sire,  recognize  better  than  any  one  the 
principle  of  sovereignty  to  which  your  Majesty  has  just  re- 


DE  MOUY  DE  SAINT  PHALE,  427 

ferred.  Therefore  they  hope  to  induce  your  Majesty  to  place 
the  crown  on  a  head  that  is  dear  to  you." 

"  To  me ! "  said  Charles ;  "  on  a  head  that  is  dear  to  me ! 
The  devil !  what  head  do  you  mean,  monsieur  ?  I  do  not 
understand." 

"  On  the  head  of  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Alenqon." 

Catharine  became  as  pale  as  death,  and  gave  De  Mouy  a 
flashing  glance. 

"  Did  my  brother  D'Alenqon  know  this  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  And  did  he  accept  the  crown  ?  " 

"  Subject  to  the  consent  of  your  Majesty,  to  whom  he 
referred  us." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Charles,  "  it  is  a  crown  which  would  suit  our 
brother  D'Alenqon  wonderfully  well.  And  I  never  thought  of 
it !  Thanks,  De  Mouy,  thanks  !  When  you  have  such  ideas 
you  will  always  be  welcome  at  the  Louvre." 

"  Sire,  you  would  long  since  have  been  informed  of  this 
project  had  it  not  been  for  that  unfortunate  affair  of  Mau- 
revel's,  which  made  me  afraid  I  had  fallen  into  disgrace  with 
your  Majesty." 

"  Yes,  but  what  did  Henry  say  to  this  plan  ? "  asked 
Catharine. 

"  The  King  of  Navarre,  madame,  yielded  to  the  desire  of 
his  brethren,  and  his  renunciation  was  ready." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Catharine,  "  you  must  have  the  renun- 
ciation." 

"  It  happens  that  I  have  it  with  me,  madame,  signed  by 
him  and  dated." 

"  Dated  previous  to  the  affair  in  the  Louvre  ?  "  said  Cath- 
arine. 

"  Yes,  the  evening  before,  I  think." 

De  Mouy  drew  from  his  pocket  an  abdication  in  favor  of 
the  Due  d'Alenqon,  written  and  signed  in  Henry's  hand,  and 
bearing  the  date  indicated. 

"  Faith,  yes,"  said  Charles,  "  and  all  is  in  due  form." 

"  What  did  Henry  demand  in  return  for  this  renuncia- 
tion ?  " 

"  Nothing,  madame ;  the  friendship  of  King  Charles,  he 
told  us,  would  amply  repay  him  for  the  loss  of  a  crown." 

Catharine  bit  her  lips  in  anger  and  wrung  her  beautiful  hands. 

«  All  this  is  perfectly  correct,  De  Mouy,"  said  the  King. 


428  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Then,"  said  the  queen  mother,  "  if  everything  was  settled 
between  you  and  the  King  of  Navarre,  what  was  the  object  of 
your  interview  with  him  this  evening  ?  " 

"  I,  madame !  with  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  "  said  De  Mouy. 
"  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  who  arrested  me,  will  bear  witness  that 
I  was  alone.  Your  majesty  can  ask  him." 

"  Monsieur  de  Nancey  ! "  called  the  King. 

The  captain  of  the  guards  entered. 

"  Monsieur  de  Nancey,"  said  Catharine,  quickly,  "  was 
Monsieur  de  Mouy  entirely  alone  at  the  inn  of  the  Belle 
Etoile  ?  " 

"  In  the  room,  yes,  madame  ;  in  the  hostelry,  no." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Catharine*"  who  was  his  companion  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  if  he  was  the  companion  of  Monsieur  de 
Mouy,  madame,  but  I  know  that  a  man  escaped  by  a  back 
door  after  having  stretched  two  of  my  men  on  the  floor." 

"  And  you  recognized  this  gentleman,  no  doubt  ?  " 

"  No,  I  did  not,  but  my  guards  did." 

«  Who  was  he  ?  "  asked  Charles  IX. 

"  Monsieur  le  Comte  Annibal  de  Coconnas." 

"  Anhibal  de  Coconnas ! "  exclaimed  the  King,  gloomy 
and  thoughtful ;  "  the  one  who  made  such  a  terrible  slaugh- 
ter of  the  Huguenots  during  the  massacre  of  Saint  Bartholo- 
mew ?  " 

"  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  a  gentleman  in  the  suite  of  Mon- 
sieur d'Alenqon,"  said  Monsieur  de  Nancey. 

"  Very  good,"  said  Charles  IX.  "  You  may  go,  Monsieur 
de  Nancey,  and  another  time,  remember  one  thing." 

"  What  is  it,  sire  ?  " 

"  That  you  are  in  my  service,  and  that  you  are  to  obey  no 
one  but  me." 

Monsieur  de  Nancey  withdrew  backwards,  bowing  respect- 
fully. 

De  Mouy  smiled  ironically  at  Catharine. 

There  was  an  instant's  silence.  The  queen  twisted  the 
tassels  of  her  girdle  ;  Charles  caressed  his  dog. 

"  But  what  was  your  intention,  monsieur  ? "  continued 
Charles ;  "  were  you  acting  violently  ?  " 

"  Against  whom,  sire  ?  " 

"  Why,  against  Henry,  or  Francois,  or  myself." 

"  Sire,  we  have  the  renunciation  of  your  brother-in-law,  the 
consent  of  your  brother ;  and,  as  I  have  had  the  honor  of  tell- 


DE  MOUY  DE  SAINT  PHALE.  429 

ing  you,  we  were  on  the  point  of  soliciting  your  Majesty's 
sanction  when  that  unfortunate  affair  occurred  at  the  Louvre." 

"  Well,  mother,"  said  Charles,  "  I  see  nothing  wrong  in  all 
this.  You  were  right,  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  in  asking  for  a 
king.  Yes,  Navarre  may  and  ought  to  be  a  separate  king- 
dom. Moreover,  it  seems  made  expressly  to  give  to  my 
brother  D'Alenqon,  who  has  always  had  so  great  a  desire  for 
a  crown  that  when  we  wear  ours  he  cannot  keep  his  eyes  off 
of  it.  The  only  thing  which  stood  in  the  way  of  this  coro- 
nation was  Henriot's  rights ;  but  since  Henriot  voluntarily 
abdicates  " 

"  Voluntarily,  sire." 

"  It  seems  that  it  is  the  will  of  God !  Monsieur  de  Mouy, 
you  are  free  to  return  to  your  brethren,  whom  I  have  chastised 
somewhat  roughly,  perhaps,  but  that  is  between  God  and 
myself.  Tell  them  that  since  they  desire  to  have  my  brother 
d'AlenQon  for  King  of  Navarre  the  King  of  France  accedes  to 
their  wishes.  From  this  moment  Navarre  is  a  kingdom,  and 
its  sovereign  is  called  Francois.  I  ask  only  eight  days  for  my 
brother  to  leave  Paris  with  the  brilliancy  and  pomp  befitting 
a  king.  Now  go,  Monsieur  de  Mouy,  go !  Monsieur  oTe  Nan- 
cey,  allow  Monsieur  de  Mouy  «to  pass ;  he  is  free." 

"  Sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  advancing  a  step,  "will  your  Majesty 
permit  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  King,  and  he  extended  his  hand  to  the 
young  Huguenot. 

De  Mouy  knelt  and  kissed  the  King's  hand. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Charles,  detaining  him  as  he  was  about 
to  rise,  "  did  you  not  demand  from  me  justice  on  that  scoun- 
drel of  a  Maurevel  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  I  do  not  know  where  he  is,  as  he  is  hiding ;  but  if  you 
meet  him,  take  justice  into  your  own  hands.  I  authorize  you 
to  do  this  and  gladly." 

"  Ah  !  sire,"  cried  De  Mouy,  "your  Majesty  overwhelms  me. 
Your  Majesty  may  rely  on  me.  I  have  no  idea  Avhere  he  is, 
but  I  will  find  him,  you  may  rest  assured." 

De  Mouy  respectfully  saluted  King  Charles  and  Queen 
Catharine,  and  withdrew  without  hindrance  from  the  guards 
who  had  brought  him  thither.  He  passed  rapidly  through  the 
corridors,  reached  the  gate,  and  once  outside  hurried  to  the 
Place  Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois,  to  the  inn  of  the  Belle 


430  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

Etoile.  Here  he  found  his  horse,  thanks  to  which,  three  hours 
after  the  scene  we  have  just  described,  the  young  man  breathed 
in  safety  behind  the  walls  of  Mantes. 

Catharine,  consumed  with  rage,  returned  to  her  apartments, 
whence  she  passed  into  those  of  Marguerite. 

She  found  Henry  there  in  his  dressing-gown,  apparently 
ready  for  bed. 

"  Satan  !  "  she  murmured,  "  aid  a  poor  queen  for  whom  God 
will  do  nothing  more ! " 


CHAPTER   XLVIII. 

TWO    HEADS    FOR    ONE    CROWN. 

"  ASK  Monsieur  d'Alenqon  to  come  to  me,"  said  Charles  as 
he  dismissed  his  mother. 

Monsieur  de  Nancey,  in  accordance  with  the  remark  of  the 
King  that  henceforth  he  was  to  obey  him  alone,  hastened  to 
the  duke's  apartments  and  delivered  word  for  word  the  order 
he  had  just  received. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  gave  a  start.  He  had  always  feared 
Charles,  and  now  more  than  ever  since  by  conspiring  he  had 
reason  to  be  afraid. 

Nevertheless,  he  went  to  his  brother  in  all  haste. 

Charles  was  standing  up,  whistling  a  hunting-song. 

As  he  entered,  the  Due  d'Alengon  caught  from  the  glassy 
eye  of  the  King  one  of  those  bitter  looks  of  hatred  which  he 
knew  so  well. 

"Your  Majesty  has  sent  for  me,"  said  he.  "Here  I  am; 
what  does  your  Majesty  desire  ?  " 

"  I  desire  to  tell  you,  my  good  brother,  that  as  a  reward  for 
the  great  friendship  you  bear  me  I  have  decided  to-day  to  do 
for  you  the  thing  you  most  want." 

«  For  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  for  you.  Think  what  for  some  time  you  have  been 
dreaming  of,  without  daring  to  ask  it  of  me,  and  I  will  give  it 
to  you." 

"  Sire,"  said  Franqois,  "  I  swear  to  you  that  I  desire  nothing 
but  the  continued  good  health  of  the  King." 

"  In  that  case  you  will  be  glad  to  know,  D'Alenqon,  that  the 
indisposition  I  experienced  at  the  time  the  Poles  arrived  has 


TWO  HEADS  FOR   ONE   CROWN.  431 

passed  by.  Thanks  to  Henriot,  I  escaped  a  furious  wild  boar, 
which  would  have  ripped  me  open,  and  I  am  so  well  that  I  do 
not  envy  the  most  healthy  man  in  my  kingdom.  Without  being 
an  unkind  brother  you  can,  therefore,  ask  for  something 
besides  the  continuation  of  my  health,  which  is  excellent." 

"  I  want  nothing,  sire." 

"  Yes,  yes,  Francois/'  said  Charles,  impatiently,  "  you  desire 
the  crown  of  Navarre,  since  you  have  had  an  understanding 
with  Henriot  and  De  Mouy,  —  with  the  first,  that  he  would 
abdicate ;  with  the  second,  that  he  would  give  it  to  you.  Well ! 
Henriot  renounces  it !  De  Mouy  has  told  me  of  your  wish,  and 
this  crown  for  which  you  are  ambitious  "  — 

"  Well  ?  "  asked  D' Aienqon  in  a  trembling  voice. 

"  Well,  the  devil !  it  is  yours." 

D'Alencon  turned  frightfully  pale ;  then  suddenly  the  blood 
rushed  from  his  heart,  which  almost  burst,  flowed  to  his  face, 
and  his  cheeks  became  suffused  with  a  burning  flush.  The  favor 
the  King  granted  him  at  that  moment  threw  him  into  despair. 

"  But,  sire,"  said  he,  trembling  with  emotion  and  trying  in 
vain  to  recover  his  self-possession,  "  I  never  desired  and 
certainly  never  asked  for  such  a  thing." 

"  That  is  possible,"  said  the  King,  "  for  you  are  very  dis- 
creet, brother ;  but  it  has  been  desired  and  asked  for  you." 

"  Sire,  I  swear  to  you  that  never  " 

"  Do  not  swear." 

"  But,  sire,  are  you  going  to  exile  me,  then  ?  " 

"  Do  you  call  this  exile,  Francois  ?  Plague  it,  you  are  hard 
to  please  !  What  better  do  you  hope  for  ?  " 

D'Alencon  bit  his  lips  in  despair. 

"  Faith !  "  continued  Charles,  affecting  kindness,  "  I  did  not 
think  you  were  so  popular,  Francois,  especially  with  the  Hu- 
guenots. But  they  have  sought  you,  and  I  have  to  confess  to 
myself  that  I  was  mistaken.  Besides,  I  could  ask  nothing 
better  than  to  have  one  of  my  family  —  my  brother  who  loves 
me  and  who  is  incapable  of  betraying  me  —  at  the  head  of  a 
party  which  for  thirty  years  has  made  war  against  us.  This 
will  quell  everything  as  if  by  enchantment,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  fact  that  we  shall  all  be  kings  in  the  family.  There  will 
be  no  one  except  poor  Henriot  who  will  be  nothing  but  my 
friend.  But  he  is  not  ambitious  and  he  shall  take  this  title 
which  no  one  else  claims." 

"  Oh,  sire  !  you  are  mistaken.     I  claim  this  title,  and  who 


432  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

has  a  better  right  to  it  than  I  ?  Henry  is  only  your  brother 
by  marriage.  I  am  your  brother  by  blood,  and  more  than  this, 
my  love  —  Sire,  I  beg  you,  keep  me  near  you." 

"No,  no,  FranQois,"  replied  Charles;  "that  would  be  to 
your  unhappiness." 

"  How  so  ?  " 

"For  many  reasons." 

"  But,  sire,  shall  you  ever  find  as  faithful  a  companion  as  I 
am  ?  From  my  childhood  I  have  never  left  your  Majesty." 

"  I  know  that  very  well ;  and  sometimes  I  have  wished  you 
farther  away." 

"  What  does  your  Majesty  mean  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  nothing  ;  I  understand  myself.  Oh,  what  fine 
hunts  you  will  have  there,  Francois  !  How  I  envy  you  !  Do  you 
know  that  in  those  devilish  mountains  they  hunt  the  bear  as 
here  we  do  the  wild  boar  ?  You  will  send  us  all  such  magnifi- 
cent skins  !  They  hunt  there  with  a  dagger,  you  know ;  they 
wait  for  the  animal,  excite  him,  irritate  him  ;  he  advances 
towards  the  hunter,  and  when  within  four  feet  of  him  he  rises 
on  his  hind  legs.  It  is  then  that  they  plunge  the  steel  into 
his  heart  as  Henry  did  to  the  boar  at  our  last  hunt.  It  is 
dangerous  sport,  but  you  are  brave,  Frangois,  and  the  danger 
will  be  a  real  pleasure  for  you." 

"  Ah  !  your  Majesty  increases  my  grief,  for  I  shall  hunt 
with  you  no  more." 

"  By  Heaven !  so  much  the  better  !  "  said  the  King.  "  It 
helps  neither  of  us  to  hunt  together." 

"  What  does  your  Majesty  mean  ?  " 

"  That  hunting  with  me  causes  you  such  pleasure  and  rouses 
in  you  such  emotion  that  you  who  are  the  personification  of 
skill,  you  who  with  any  musket  can  bring  down  a  magpie  a 
hundred  feet  away,  the  last  time  we  hunted  together  failed  at 
twenty  paces  to  hit  a  wild  boar;  but  with  your  weapon,  a 
weapon,  too,  with  which  you  are  familiar,  you  broke  the  leg  of 
my  best  horse.  The  devil,  Francois,  that  makes  one  reflect, 
you  know ! " 

"  Oh  !  sire,  pardon  me,  it  was  from  emotion,"  said  D'Alenqon, 
who  had  become  livid. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Charles,  "  I  can  well  imagine  what  the 
emotion  was ;  and  it  is  on  account  of  this  emotion  that  I 
realize  all  that  it  means  when  I  say  to  you :  <  Believe  me, 
Francois,  when  one  has  such  emotions  it  is  best  for  us  to 


TWO  HEADS  FOR   ONE   CROWN.  433 

hunt  at  a  distance  from  each  other.  Think  about  it,  brother, 
not  while  you  are  with  me,  because  I  can  see  my  presence 
troubles  you,  but  when  you  are  alone,  and  you  will  see  that  I 
have  every  reason  to  fear  that  in  another  hunt  you  might  be 
seized  with  another  emotion.  There  is  nothing  like  emotion 
for  causing  the  hand  to  rise,  and  you  might  kill  the  rider 
instead  of  the  horse,  the  king  instead  of  the  beast.  Plague  it, 
a  bullet  aimed  too  high  or  too  low  changes  an  entire  govern- 
ment. We  have  an  example  of  this  in  our  own  family.  When 
Montgommery  killed  our  father,  Henry  II.,  by  accident  —  emo- 
tion, perhaps  —  the  blow  placed  our  brother,  Francois  II.,  on 
the  throne  and  sent  our  father  Henry  to  Saint  Denis.  So 
little  is  necessary  for  Providence  to  effect  much  ! " 

The  duke  felt  the  perspiration  running  down  his  face  at 
this  attack,  as  formidable  as  it  was  unforeseen. 

It  would  have  been  impossible  for  the  King  to  show  more 
clearly  that  he  had  surmised  all.  Veiling  his  anger  under  a 
jesting  manner,  Charles  was  perhaps  more  terrible  than  as  if 
he  had  let  himself  pour  forth  the  lava  of  hate  which  was  con- 
suming his  heart ;  his  vengeance  seemed  in  proportion  to  his 
rancor.  As  the  one  grew  sharper,  the  other  increased,  and  for 
the  first  time  D'Alenqon  felt  remorse,  or  rather  regret  for 
having  meditated  a  crime  which  had  not  succeeded.  He  had 
sustained  the  struggle  as  long  as  he  could,  but  at  this  final 
blow  he  bent  his  head,  and  Charles  saw  dawning  in  his  eyes 
that  devouring  fire  which  in  beings  of  a  tender  nature  ploughs 
the  furrow  from  which  spring  tears. 

But  D'Aleuqon  was  one  of  those  who  weep  only  from  anger. 
Charles  fixed  on  him  his  vulture  gaze,  watching  the  feelings 
which  succeeded  one  another  across  the  face  of  the  young  man, 
and  all  those  sensations  appeared  to  him  as  accurately,  thanks 
to  the  deep  study  he  had  made  of  his  family,  as  if  the  heart 
of  the  duke  had  been  an  open  book. 

He  left  him  a  moment,  crushed,  motionless,  and  mute ;  then 
in  a  voice  stamped  with  the  firmness  of  hatred  : 

"  Brother,"  said  he,  "  we  have  declared  to  you  our  resolution  ; 
it  is  immutable.  You  will  go." 

D'Alenqon  gave  a  start,  but  Charles  did  not  appear  to  notice 
it,  and  continued : 

"  I  wish  Navarre  to  be  proud  of  having  for  king  a  brother 
of  the  King  of  France.  Gold,  power,  honor,  all  that  belongs 
to  your  birth  you  shall  have,  as  your  brother  Henry  had, 


434  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

and  like  him,"  he  added,  smiling,  "you  will  bless  me  from 
afar.     But  no  matter,  blessings  know  no  distance." 

«  Sire  "  — 

"  Accept  my  decision,  or  rather,  resign  yourself.  Once  king, 
we  shall  find  a  wife  for  you  worthy  of  a  son  of  France,  and 
she,  perhaps,  may  bring  you  another  throne." 

"  But,"  said  the  Due  d'AlenQon,  "  your  Majesty  forgets  your 
good  friend  Henry." 

"  Henry  !  but  I  told  you  that  he  did  not  want  the  throne  of 
Navarre !  I  told  you  he  had  abdicated  in  favor  of  you  !  Henry 
is  a  jovial  fellow,  and  not  a  pale-face  like  you.  He  likes  to 
laugh  and  amuse  himself  at  his  ease,  and  not  mope,  as  we 
who  wear  crowns  are  condemned  to  do." 

D'Alenqon  heaved  a  sigh. 

"Your  Majesty  orders  me  then  to  occupy  myself" 

"  No,  not  at  all.  Do  not  disturb  yourself  at  all ;  I  will  ar- 
range everything;  rely  on  me,  as  on  a  good  brother.  And 
now  that  everything  is  settled,  go.  However,  not  a  word  of 
our  conversation  to  your  friends.  I  will  take  measures  to  give 
publicity  to  the  affair  very  soon.  Go  now,  Francois." 

There  was  nothing  further  to  be  said,  so  the  duke  bowed 
and  withdrew,  rage  in  his  heart. 

He  was  very  anxious  to  find  Henry  and  talk  with  him 
about  all  that  had  just  taken  place  ;  but  he  found  only  Catha- 
rine. As  a  matter  of  fact,  Henry  wished  to  avoid  the  inter- 
view, whereas  the  latter  sought  for  it. 

On  seeing  Catharine  the  duke  swallowed  his  anger  and 
strove  to  smile.  Less  fortunate  than  Henry  of  Anjou,  it  was 
not  a  mother  he  sought  in  Catharine,  but  merely  an  ally.  He 
began  therefore  by  dissimulation,  for  in  order  to  make  good 
alliances  it  is  necessary  for  each  party  to  be  somewhat  de- 
ceived. 

He  met  Catharine  with  a  face  on  which  there  remained  only 
a  slight  trace  of  anxiety. 

"  Well,  madame,"  said  he,  "  here  is  great  news ;  have  you 
heard  it  ?  " 

"  I  know  that  there  is  a  plan  on  hand  to  make  a  king  of 
you,  monsieur." 

"  It  is  a  great  kindness  on  the  part  of  my  brother,  madame.'' 
"  Is  it  not  ?  " 

"  And  I  am  almost  tempted  to  believe  that  I  owe  a  part  of 
my  gratitude  to  you;  for  it  was  really  you  who  advised 


TWO  HEADS  FOR   ONE   CROWN.  435 

Charles  to  make  me  the  present  of  a  throne ;  it  is  to  you  I  owe 
it.  However,  I  will  confess  that,  at  heart,  it  gives  me  pain 
thus  to  rob  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"You  love  Henriot  very  much,  apparently." 

"  Why,  yes  ;  we  have  been  intimate  for  some  time." 

"  Do  you  think  he  loves  you  as  much  as  you  love  him  ?  " 

"  I  hope  so,  madame." 

"  Such  a  friendship  is  very  edifying ;  do  you  know  it  ? 
especially  between  princes.  Court  friendships  mean  very  little, 
Franqois." 

"  Mother,  you  must  remember  we  are  not  only  friends,  but 
almost  brothers." 

Catharine  smiled  a  strange  smile. 

"  Ah,"  said  she,  "  are  there  brothers  among  kings  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  as  to  that,  neither  of  us  was  a  king,  mother,  when  our 
intimacy  began.  Moreover,  we  never  expected  to  be  kings  ; 
that  is  why  we  loved  each  other." 

"  Yes,  but  things  are  changed." 

"How  changed?"' 

"  Why,  who  can  say  now  whether  both  of  you  will  not  be 
kings  ?  " 

From  the  nervous  start  of  the  duke  and  the  flush  which 
rose  to  his  brow  Catharine  saw  that  the  arrow  aimed  by  her 
had  hit  the  mark. 

"  He  ?  "  said  he,  "  Henriot  king  ?  And  of  what  kingdom, 
mother  ?  " 

"  One  of  the  most  magnificent  kingdoms  in  Christendom,  my 
son." 

"  Oh !  mother,"  said  D'Alengon,  growing  pale,  "  what  are 
you  saying  ?  " 

"  What  a  good  mother  ought  to  say  to  her  son,  and  what 
you  have  thought  of  more  than  once,  Francois." 

"  I  ?  "  said  the  duke ;  "  I  have  thought  of  nothing,  madame, 
I  swear  to  you." 

"  I  can  well  believe  you,  for  your  friend,  your  brother 
Henry,  as  you  call  him,  is,  under  his  apparent  frankness,  a 
very  clever  and  wily  person,  who  keeps  his  secrets  better  than 
you  keep  yours,  Franqois.  For  instance,  did  he  ever  tell  you 
that  De  Mouy  was  his  man  of  business  ?  " 

As  she  spoke,  Catharine  turned  a  glance  upon  Francois  as 
though  it  were  a  dagger  aimed  at  his  very  soul. 


436  MARGUERITE   DE    V A  LOIS. 

But  the  latter  had  but  one  virtue,  or  rather  vice,  —  the  art 
of  dissimulation ;  and  he  bore  her  look  unflinchingly. 

"  De  Mouy ! "  said  he  in  surprise,  as  if  it  were  the  first  time 
he  had  heard  the  name  mentioned  in  that  connection. 

"  Yes,  the  Huguenot  De  Mouy  de  Saint  Phale ;  the  one 
who  nearly  killed  Monsieur  de  Maurevel,  and  who,  secretly 
and  in  Various  disguises,  is  running  all  over  France  and  the 
capital,  intriguing  and  raising  an  army  to  support  your  brother 
Henry  against  your  family." 

Catharine,  ignorant  that  on  this  point  her  son  Francois  knew 
as  much  if  not  more  than  she,  rose  at  these  words  and  started 
majestically  to  leave  the  room,  but  Franqois  detained  her. 

"  Mother,"  said  he,  "  another  word,  if  you  please.  Since 
you  deign  to  initiate  me  into  your  politics,  tell  me  how,  with 
his  feeble  resources,  and  being  so  slightly  known,  Henry  could 
succeed  in  carrying  on  a  war  serious  enough  to  disturb  my 
family  ?  " 

"  Child,"  said  the  queen,  smiling,  "  he  is  supported  by  per- 
haps more  than  thirty  thousand  men ;  he  has  but  to  say  the 
word  and  these  thirty  thousand  men  will  appear  as  suddenly 
as  if  they  sprang  from  the  ground ;  and  these  thirty  thousand 
men  are  Huguenots,  remember,  that  is,  the  bravest  soldiers  in 
the  world,  and  then  he  has  a  protector  whom  you  neither 
could  nor  would  conciliate." 

"  Who  is  that  ?  " 

"  He  has  the  King,  the  King,  who  loves  him  and  who  urges 
him  on ;  the  King,  who  from  jealousy  of  your  brother  of 
Poland,  and  from  spite  against  you,  is  looking  about  for  a 
successor.  But,  blind  man  that  you  are  if  you  do  not  see  it, 
he  seeks  somewhere  else  besides  in  his  own  family." 

"  The  King  !  —  you  think  so,  mother  ?  " 

"  Have  you  not  noticed  how  he  loves  Henriot,  his  Henriot  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mother,  yes." 

"  And  how  he  is  repaid,  for  this  same  Henriot,  forgetting 
that  his  brother-in-law  would  have  shot  him  at  the  massacre 
of  Saint  Bartholomew,  grovels  to  the  earth  like  a  dog  which 
licks  the  hand  that  has  beaten  him." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  murmured  Franqois,  "  I  have  already  noticed 
that  Henry  is  very  humble  with  my  brother  Charles." 

"  Clever  in  trying  to  please  him  in  everything." 

"  So  much  so  that  because  of  being  always  rallied  by  the 
King  as  to  his  ignorance  of  hawking  he  has  begun  to  study  it ; 


TWO  HEADS  FOR   ONE   CROWN.  437 

and  yesterday,  yes,  it  was  only  yesterday,  he  asked  me  if  I 
had  not  some  books  on  that  sport." 

"  Well,"  said  Catharine,  whose  eyes  sparkled  as  if  an  idea 
had  suddenly  come  to  her,  "  what  did  you  answer  him  ?  " 

"  That  I  would  look  in  my  library." 

"  Good,"  said  Catharine,  "  he  must  have  this  book." 

"  But  I  looked,  madame,  and  found  nothing." 

"  I  will  find  one  —  and  you  shall  give  it  to  him  as  though  it 
came  from  you." 

"  And  what  will  come  of  this  ?  " 

"  Have  you  confidence  in  me,  D' Alencon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mother." 

"  Will  you  obey  me  blindly  so  far  as  Henry  is  concerned  ? 
For  whatever  you  may  have  said  you  do  not  love  him." 

D'Alenqon  smiled. 

"  And  I  detest  him,"  continued  Catharine. 

"  Yes,  I  will  obey  you." 

"  Well,  the  day  after  to-morrow  come  here  for  the  book ; 
I  will  give  it  to  you,  you  shall  take  it  to  Henry,  and  "  — 

«  And  ? " 

"  Leave  the  rest  to  Providence  or  to  chance." 

Francois  knew  his  mother  well  enough  to  realize  that  she 
was  not  in  the  habit  of  leaving  to  Providence  or  to  chance  the 
care  of  friendships  or  hatreds.  But  he  said  nothing,  and  bow- 
ing like  a  man  who  accepts  the  commission  with  which  he  is 
charged,  he  returned  to  his  own  apartments. 

"  What  does  she  mean  ? "  thought  the  young  man  as  he 
mounted  the  stairs.  "I  cannot  see.  But  what  I  do  under- 
stand in  all  this  is  that  she  acts  like  our  common  enemy. 
Well,  let  her  go  ahead." 

Meantime  Marguerite,  through  La  Mole,  had  received  a  letter 
from  De  Mouy  to  the  King  of  Navarre.  As  in  politics  the 
two  illustrious  allies  had  no  secrets,  she  opened  the  letter  and 
read  it. 

The  letter  must  have  interested  her,  for,  taking  advantage 
of  the  darkness  which  was  beginning  to  overshadow  the  walls 
of  the  Louvre,  Marguerite  at  once  hurried  along  the  secret 
corridor,  ascended  the  winding  stairway,  and,  having  looke'd 
carefully  about  on  all  sides,  glided  on  like  a  shadow  and  dis- 
appeared within  the  antechamber  of  the  King  of  Navarre. 

This  room  had  been  unguarded  since  the  disappearance  of 
Orthon. 


438  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

This  circumstance,  of  which  we  have  not  spoken  since  the 
reader  learned  of  the  tragic  fate  of  poor  Orthon,  had  greatly 
troubled  Henry.  He  had  spoken  of  it  to  Madame  de  Sauve 
and  to  his  wife,  but  neither  of  them  knew  any  more  about  it 
than  he  did.  Madame  de  Sauve  had  given  him  some  informa- 
tion from  which  it  was  perfectly  clear  to  Henry's  mind  that 
the  poor  boy  had  been  a  victim  of  some  machination  of  the 
queen  mother,  and  that  this  was  why  he  himself  had^been 
interrupted  with  De  Mouy  in  the  inn  of  the  Belle  Etoile. 
Any  other  than  Henry  would  have  kept  silence,  fearing  to 
speak,  but  Henry  calculated  everything.  He  realized  that  his 
silence  would  betray  him.  One  does  not  as  a  rule  lose  one's 
servitor  and  confidant  thus,  without  making  inquiries  about 
him  and  looking  for  him.  So  Henry  asked  and  searched  even 
in  the  presence  of  the  King  and  the  queen  mother,  and  of 
every  one,  from  the  sentinel  who  walked  before  the  gate  of  the 
Louvre  to  the  captain  of  the  guards,  keeping  watch  in  the 
antechamber  of  the  King;  but  all  inquiry  and  search  was  in 
vain,  and  Henry  seemed  so  affected  by  the  circumstance  and 
so  attached  to  the  poor  absent  servitor  that  he  said  he  would 
not  put  another  in  his  place  until  he  was  perfectly  sure  that 
Orthon  had  disappeared  forever. 

So  the  antechamber,  as  we  have  said,  was  empty  when  Mar- 
guerite reached  it. 

Light  as  were  the  steps  of  the  queen,  Henry  heard  them 
and  turned  round. 

"  You,  madame !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite.  "  Quick  !  Read  this  !  "  and  she 
handed  him  the  open  letter. 

It  contained  these  lines  : 

"  Sire  :  The  moment  has  come  for  putting  our  plan  of  flight 
into  execution.  The  day  after  to-morrow  there  ivill  be  hunting 
along  the  Seine,  from  Saint  Germain  to  Maisons,  that  is,  .all 
long  the  forest. 

"  Go  to  the  hunt,  although  it  is  hawking ;  wear  a  good  coat 
of  mail  under  your  suit ;  take  your  best  sword  and  ride  the 
best  horse  in  your  stable.  About  noon,  when  the  chase  is  at  its 
height,  and  the  King  is  galloping  after  the  falcon,  escape  alone 
if  you  come  alone  ;  with  the  Queen  of  Navarre  if  the  queen 
will  follow  you. 

"  Fifty  of  our  men  will  be  hidden  in  the  Pavilion  of  Francois 


TWO  HEADS  FOR   ONE   CROWN.  439 

/.,  of  which  we  have  the  key  ;  no  one  will  know  that  they  will 
be  there,  for  they  will  have  come  at  night,  and  the  shutters 
will  be  closed. 

"  You  will  jjass  by  the  Alley  of  the  Violettes,  at  the  end  of 
which  I  shall  be  watching  ;  at  the  right  of  this  alley  in  an  open 
space  will  be  Messieurs  de  la  Mole  and  Coconnas,  with  two 
horses.  These  horses  are  intended  to  replace  yours  and  that 
of  her  majesty  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  if  necessary. 

"  Adieu,  sire  ;  be  ready,  as  we  shall  be." 

"  You  will  be,"  said  Marguerite,  uttering  after  sixteen  hun- 
dred years  the  same  words  that  Caesar  spoke  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rubicon. 

"  Be  it  so,  madame,"  replied  Henry ;  "  I  will  not  fail  you." 

"  Now,  sire,  be  a  hero ;  it  is  not  difficult.  You  have  but  to 
follow  the  path  that  is  indicated,  and  make  a  beautiful  throne 
for  me,"  said  the  daughter  of  Henry  II. 

An  imperceptible  smile  rose  to  the  thin  lips  of  the  Bearnais. 
He  kissed  Marguerite's  hand,  and  went  out  to  explore  the  cor- 
ridor, whistling  the  refrain  of  an  old  song : 

"  Cil  qui  mieux  battit  la  muraille 
N'entra  pas  dedans  le  chasteau."  * 

The  precaution  was  wise,  for  just  as  he  opened  the  door  of 
his  sleeping-room  the  Due  d'Alemjon  opened  that  of  his  ante- 
chamber. Henry  motioned  to  Marguerite,  and  then,  aloud,  said : 

"  Ah !  is  it  you,  brother  ?     Welcome." 

At  the  sign  from  her  husband  the  queen  had  understood 
everything,  and  stepped  hurriedly  into  a  dressing-closet,  in 
front  of  the  door  of  which  hung  a  thick  tapestry.  The  Due 
d'Alenqon  entered  with  a  timorous  step  and  looked  around  him. 

"  Are  we  alone,  brother  ?  "  asked  he  in  a  whisper. 

"  Entirely.     But  what  is  the  matter  ?  You  seem  disturbed." 

(f  We  are  discovered,  Henry." 

"  How  ?  —  discovered  ?  " 

"  Yes,  De  Mouy  has  been  arrested." 

« I  know  it." 

«  Well,  De  Mouy  has  told  the  King  all." 

"  What  has  he  told  him  ?  " 

"  He  has  told  him  that  I  desire  the  throne  of  Navarre,  and 
that  I  have  conspired  to  obtain  it." 

1  He  who  beats  on  the  wall  will  never  get  into  the  castle. 


440  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

11  Ah,  the  stupid  ! "  cried  Henry,  "  so  that  now  you  are  com- 
promised, my  poor  brother !  How  is  it,  then,  that  you  have 
not  been  arrested  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know.  The  King  joked  with  me  by  pretending 
to  offer  me  the  throne  of  Navarre.  He  hoped,  no  doubt,  to 
draw  some  confession  from  me,  but  I  said  nothing." 

"  And  you  did  well,  venire  saint  gris  !  "  said  the  Bearnais. 
"  Stand  firm,  for  our  lives  depend  on  that." 

"  Yes,"  said  Francois,  "  the  position  is  unsafe,  I  know. 
That  is  why  I  came  to  ask  your  advice,  brother ;  what  do  you 
think  I  ought  to  do  —  run  or  stay  ?  " 

"  You  must  have  seen  the  King,  since  he  spoke  to  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course." 

"  Well !  you  must  have  read  his  thoughts.  So  follow  your 
inspiration." 

"  I  prefer  to  remain,"  replied  Francois. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  was  almost  thorough 
master  of  himself,  Henry  could  not  prevent  a  movement  of  joy 
from  escaping  him,  and  slight  as  it  was,  Francois  saw  it. 

"  Remain,  then,"  said  Henry. 

"  But  you  ?  " 

"Why!"  replied  Henry,  "if  you  remain,  I  have  no  motive 
for  leaving.  I  was  going  only  to  follow  you  from  devotion,  in 
order  not  to  be  separated  from  my  brother." 

"  So,"  said  D'Alenc^on,  "  there  is  an  end  to  all  our  plans ; 
you  give  up  without  a  struggle  at  the  first  stroke  of  ill  luck  ?  " 

"I  do  not  look  upon  it  as  a  stroke  of  ill  luck  to  remain 
here,"  said  Henry.  "  Thanks  to  my  careless  disposition,  I  am 
contented  everywhere." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  D'Alenqon,  "  we  need  say  no  more  about 
it,  only  in  case  you  decide  anything  different  let  me  know." 

"  By  Heaven !  I  shall  not  fail  to  do  that,  you  may  be  sure," 
replied  Henry.  "Was  it  not  agreed  that  we  were  to  have  no 
secrets  from  each  other  ?  " 

D'Alenqon  said  no  more,  but  withdrew,  pondering,  however ; 
for  at  one  time  he  thought  he  had  seen  the  tapestry  in  front 
of  the  closet  move. 

Scarcely  was  the  duke  gone  when  the  curtain  was  raised  and 
Marguerite  reappeared. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  visit  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"That  there  is  something  new  and  important  on  hand." 

"  What  do  you  think  it  is  ?  " 


THE    TREATISE   ON  HUNTING.  441 

"  I  do  not  know  yet ;  but  I  will  find  out." 

"  In  the  meanwhile  ?  " 

"  In  the  meanwhile  do  not  fail  to  come  to  my  room  to- 
morrow evening." 

"  Indeed  I  will  not  fail,  madame !  "  said  Henry,  gallantly 
kissing  the  hand  of  his  wife. 

With  the  same  caution  she  had  used  in  coming  Marguerite 
returned  to  her  own  apartments. 


CHAPTEK   XLIX. 

THE    TREATISE    ON    HUNTING. 

THREE  days  had  elapsed  since  the  events  we  have  just 
related.  Day  was  beginning  to  dawn,  but  every  one  was 
already  up  and  awake  at  the  Louvre  as  usual  on  hunting 
days,  when  the  Due  d'Alenqon  entered  the  apartments  of  the 
queen  mother  in  answer  to  the  invitation  he  had  received. 
Catharine  was  not  in  her  bedroom  ;  but  she  had  left  orders 
that  if  her  son  came  he  was  to  wait  for  her. 

At  the  end  of  a  few  minutes  she  came  out  of  a  private  closet, 
to  which  no  one  but  herself  had  admission,  and  in  which  she 
carried  on  her  experiments  in  chemistry.  As  Catharine 
entered  the  room  there  came  either  from  the  closet  or  from 
her  clothes  the  penetrating  odor  of  some  acrid  perfume,  and 
through  the  open  door  D'Alenqon  perceived  a  thick  vapor,  as 
of  some  burnt  aromatic  substance,  floating  in  the  laboratory 
like  a  white  cloud. 

The  duke  could  not  repress  a  glance  of  curiosity. 

"  Yes,"  said  Catharine  de  Medicis,  "  I  have  been  burning 
several  old  parchments  which  gave  out  such  an  offensive  smell 
that  I  put  some  juniper  into  the  brazier,  hence  this  odor." 

D'Alenqon  bowed. 

"  Well,"  said  the  queen,  concealing  under  the  wide  sleeves  of 
her  dressing-gown  her  hands,  which  here  and  there  were  stained 
with  reddish  spots,  "  is  there  anything  new  since  yesterday  ?  " 

"Nothing,  mother." 

"  Have  you  seen  Henry  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Does  he  still  refuse  to  leave  ?  " 


442  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Absolutely." 

«  The  knave  !  " 

"  What  do  you  say,  madame  ?  " 

"  I  say  that  he  will  go." 

"  You  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  Then  he  will  escape  us  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Catharine. 

"  And  shall  you  let  him  go  ?  " 

"  Not  only  that,  but  I  tell  you  he  must  go." 

"  I  do  not  understand,  mother." 

"  Listen  well  to  what  I  am  about  to  tell  you,  Franqois.  A  very 
skilful  physician,  the  one  who  let  me  take  the  book  on  hunt- 
ing which  you  are  to  give  him,  has  told  me  that  the  King 
of  Navarre  is  on  the  point  of  being  attacked  with  consumption, 
one  of  those  incurable  diseases  for  which  science  has  no 
remedy.  Now,  you  understand  that  if  he  has  to  die  from 
such  a  cruel  malady  it  would  be  better  for  him  to  die  away 
from  iis  than  among  us  here  at  court." 

"  In  fact,"  said  the  duke,  "  that  would  cause  us  too  much 
pain." 

"  Especially  your  brother  Charles,"  said  Catharine ;  "  where- 
as, if  he  dies  after  having  betrayed  him  the  King  will  regard 
his  death  as  a  punishment  from  Heaven." 

"  You  are  right,  mother,"  said  Francois  in  admiration,  "  he 
must  leave.  But  are  you  sure  that  he  will  ?  " 

"  All  his  plans  are  made.  The  meeting-place  is  in  the  forest 
of  Saint  Germain.  Fifty  Huguenots  are  to  escort  him  as  far 
as  Fontainebleau,  where  five  hundred  others  will  await  him." 

"  And,"  said  D'Alenqon,  with  a  slight  hesitation  and  visible 
pallor,  "  will  my  sister  Margot  accompany  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Catharine,  "  that  is  agreed  on.  But  at 
Henry's  death  Margot  is  to  return  to  court  a  widow  and  free." 

"  And  Henry  will  die,  madame  ?     Are  you  sure  of  this  ?  " 

"  The  physician  who  gave  me  the  book  assured  me  of  it." 

"  Where  is  this  book,  madame  ?  " 

Catharine  went  slowly  towards  the  mysterious  closet,  opened 
the  door,  entered,  and  a  moment  later  appeared  with  the  book 
in  her  hand. 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  she. 

D'Alenqon  looked  at  the  volume  with  a  certain  feeling  of 
terror. 


THE   TREATISE   ON  HUNTING.  443 

"  What  is  this  book,  madame  ?  "  he  asked,  shuddering. 

"  I  have  already  told  you,  my  sou.  It  is  a  treatise  on  the 
art  of  raising  and  training  falcons,  gerfalcons,  and  hawks, 
written  by  a  very  learned  scholar  for  Lord  Castruccio  Castra- 
cani,  tyrant  of  Lucca." 

"  What  must  I  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Take  it  to  your  good  friend  Henriot,  who  you  told  me  had 
asked  you  for  a  treatise  on  the  art  of  hunting.  As  he  is 
going  hawking  to-day  with  the  King  he  will  not  fail  to  read 
some  of  it,  in  order  to  prove  to  Charles  that  he  has  followed 
his  advice  and  taken  a  lesson  or  two.  The  main  thing  is  to 
give  it  into  Henry's  own  hands." 

"  Oh  !  I  do  not  dare !  "  said  D'Alencon,  shuddering. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Catharine ;  "  it  is  a  book  like  any  other 
except  that  it  has  been  packed  away  for  so  long  that  the  leaves 
stick  together.  Do  not  attempt  to  read  it,  Francois,  for  it  can 
be  read  only  by  wetting  the  finger  and  turning  over  each  leaf, 
and  this  takes  time  and  trouble." 

"  So  that  only  a  man  who  is  very  anxious  to  be  instructed 
in  the  sport  of  hawking  would  waste  his  time  and  go  to  this 
trouble  ?  "  asked  D'Alencon. 

"  Exactly,  my  son  ;  you  understand." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  D'Alenqon  ;  "  there  is  Henriot  in  the  court-yard. 
Give  me  the  book,  madame.  I  will  take  advantage  of  his  absence 
and  go  to  his  room  with  it.  On  his  return  he  will  find  it." 

"  I  should  prefer  you  to  give  it  to  him  yourself,  Francois, 
that  would  be  surer." 

"  I  have  already  said  that  I  do  not  dare,  madame,"  replied 
the  duke. 

"  Very  well ;  but  at  least  put  it  where  he  can  see  it." 

"  Open  ?     Is  there  any  reason  why  it  should  not  be  open  ?  " 

«  None." 

"  Then  give  it  to  me." 

D'Alenqon  tremblingly  took  the  book,  which  Catharine  with 
a  firm  hand  held  out  to  him. 

"Take  it,"  said  the  queen,  "there  is  no  danger  —  I  touch  it; 
besides;  you  have  gloves  on." 

This  precaution  was  not  enough  for  D'Alenqon,  who  wrapped 
the  volume  in  his  cloak. 

"  Make  haste,"  said  Catharine ;  "  Henry  may  return  at  any 
moment." 

"  You  are  right,  madame.     I  will  go  at  once." 


444  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

The  duke  went  out,  trembling  with  fright. 

We  have  often  introduced  the  reader  into  the  apartments  of 
the  King  of  Navarre,  and  he  has  been  present  at  the  events 
which  have  taken  place  in  them,  events  bright  or  gloomy, 
according  to  the  smile  or  frown  of  the  protecting  genius  of  the 
future  king  of  France. 

But  perhaps  never  had  these  walls,  stained  with  the  blood 
of  murders,  sprinkled  with  the  wine  of  orgies,  scented  with 
the  perfumes  of  love,  —  perhaps  never  had  this  corner  of  the 
Louvre  seen  a  paler  face  than  that  of  the  Due  d'Alengon,  as 
with  book  in  hand  he  opened  the  door  of  the  bedchamber  of 
the  King  of  Navarre.  And  no  one,  as  the  duke  had  expected, 
was  in  the  room  to  question  with  curious  or  anxious  glances 
what  he  was  about  to  do.  The  first  rays  of  the  morning  sun 
alone  were  lighting  up  the  vacant  chamber. 

On  the  wall  in  readiness  hung  the  sword  which  Monsieur  de 
Mouy  had  advised  Henry  to  take  with  him.  Some  links  of  a 
coat  of  mail  were  scattered  on  the  floor.  A  well-filled  purse 
and  a  small  dagger  lay  on  a  table,  and  some  light  ashes  in  the 
fireplace,  joined  to  the  other  evidence,  clearly  showed 
D'Alenqon  that  the  King  of  Navarre  had  put  on  the  shirt  of 
mail,  collected  some  money  from  his  treasurer,  and  burned  all 
papers  that  might  compromise  him. 

"  My  mother  was  not  mistaken,"  said  D'Alenqon  •  "  the  knave 
would  have  betrayed  me." 

Doubtless  this  conviction  gave  added  strength  to  the  young 
man.  He  sounded  the  corners  of  the  room  at  a  glance,  raised 
the  portieres,  and  realizing  from  the  loud  noise  in  the  court- 
yard below  and  the  dense  silence  in  the  apartments  that  no 
one  was  there  to  spy  on  him,  he  drew  the  book  from  under 
his  cloak,  hastily  laid  it  on  the  table,  near  the  purse,  propping 
it  up  against  a  desk  of  sculptured  oak ;  then  drawing  back, 
he  reached  out  his  arm,  and,  with  a  hesitation  which  betrayed 
his  fears,  with  his  gloved  hand  he  opened  the  volume  to  an 
engraving  of  a  hunt.  This  done,  D'Alenqon  again  stepped 
back,  and  drawing  off  his  glove  threw  it  into  the  still  warm 
fire,  which  had  just  consumed  the  papers.  The  supple  leather 
crackled  over  the  coals,  twisted  and  flattened  itself  out  like 
the  body  of  a  great  reptile,  leaving  nothing  but  a  burned  and 
blackened  lump. 

D'Alenqon  waited  until  the  flame  had  consumed  the  glove, 
then  rolling  up  the  cloak  which  had  been  wrapped  around 


THE   TREATISE   ON  HUNTING.  445 

the  book,  he  put  it  under  his  arm,  and  hastily  returned  to 
his  own  apartments.  As  he  entered  with  beating  heart,  he 
heard  steps  on  the  winding  stairs,  and  not  doubting  but  that  it 
was  Henry  he  quickly  closed  his  door.  Then  he  stepped  to 
the  window,  but  he  could  see  only  a  part  of  the  court-yard  of 
the  Louvre.  Henry  was  not  there,  however,  and  he  felt  con- 
vinced that  it  was  the  King  of  Navarre  who  had  just  returned. 

The  duke  sat  down,  opened  a  book,  and  tried  to  read.  It 
was  a  history  of  France  from  Pharamond  to  Henry  II.,  for 
which,  a  few  days  after  his  accession  to  the  throne,  Henry 
had  given  a  license. 

But  the  duke's  thoughts  were  not  on  what  he  was  reading ; 
the  fever  of  expectation  burned  in  his  veins.  His  temples 
throbbed  clear  to  his  brain,  and  as  in  a  dream  or  some  mag- 
netic trance,  it  seemed  to  Franqois  that  he  could  see  through 
the  walls.  His  eyes  appeared  to  probe  into  Henry's  chamber, 
in  spite  of  the  obstacles  between. 

In  order  to  drive  away  the  terrible  object  before  his  mind's 
eye  the  duke  strove  to  fix  his  attention  on  something  besides 
the  terrible  book  opened  on  the  oak  desk;  but  in  vain  he 
looked  at  his  weapons,  his  ornaments ;  in  vain  he  gazed  a 
hundred  times  at  the  same  spot  on  the  floor ;  every  detail  of 
the  picture  at  which  he  had  merely  glanced  remained  graven 
on  his  memory.  It  consisted  of  a  gentleman  on  horseback 
fulfilling  the  duties  of  a  beater  of  hawking,  throwing  the  bait, 
calling  to  the  falcon,  and  galloping  through  the  deep  grass  of  a 
swamp.  Strong  as  was  the  duke's  will,  his  memory  triumphed 
over  it. 

Then  it  was  not  only  the  book  he  saw,  but  the  King  of 
Navarre  approaching  it,  looking  at  the  picture,  trying  to  turn 
the  pages,  finally  wetting  his  thumb  and  forcing  the  leaves 
apart.  At  this  sight,  fictitious  and  imaginary  as  it  was, 
D'Alenqon  staggered  and  was  forced  to  lean  one  hand  against 
a  table,  while  with  the  other  he  covered  his  eyes,  as  if  by  so 
doing  he  did  not  see  more  clearly  than  before  the  vision  he 
wished  to  escape.  This  vision  was  in  his  own  thoughts. 

Suddenly  D'Alenqou  saw  Henry  cross  the  court;  he  stopped 
a  few  moments  before  the  men  who  were  loading  two  mules 
with  the  provisions  for  the  chase  —  none  other  than  the 
money  and  other  things  he  wished  to  take  with  him ;  then, 
having  given  his  orders,  he  crossed  the  court  diagonally  and 
advanced  towards  the  door. 


446  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

D'AletiQon  stood  motionless.  It  was  not  Henry,  then,  who 
had  mounted  the  secret  staircase.  All  the  agony  he  had 
undergone  during  the  last  quarter  of  an  hour  had  been  use- 
less. What  he  thought  was  over  or  almost  over  was  only 
beginning. 

Francois  opened  the  door  of  his  chamber,  then  holding  it  so 
he  listened.  This  time  he  could  not  be  mistaken,  it  was  Henry 
himself;  he  recognized  his  step  and  the  peculiar  jingle  of  his 
spurs. 

Henry's  door  opened  and  closed. 

D'Alenqon  returned  to  his  room  and  sank  into  an  armchair. 

"  Good !  "  said  he,  "  this  is  what  is  now  taking  place :  he 
has  passed  through  the  antechamber,  the  first  room,  the  sleep- 
ing-room ;  then  he  glances  to  see  if  his  sword,  his  purse,  his 
dagger  are  there ;  at  last  he  finds  the  book  open  on  his  table. 

" '  What  book  is  this  ?  '  he  asks  himself.  '  Who  has  brought 
it?' 

"  Then  he  draws  nearer,  sees  the  picture  of  the  horseman 
calling  his  falcon,  wants  to  read,  tries  to  turn  the  leaves." 

A  cold  perspiration  started  to  the  brow  of  Francois. 

"  Will  he  call  ?  Is  the  effect  of  the  poison  sudden  ?  No,  no, 
for  my  mother  said  he  would  die  of  slow  consumption." 

This  thought  somewhat  reassured  him. 

Ten  minutes  passed  thus,  a  century  of  agony,  dragging  by 
second  after  second,  each  supplying  all  that  the  imagination 
could  invent  in  the  way  of  maddening  terror,  a  world  of 
visions. 

D'Alenqon  could  stand  it  no  longer.  He  rose  and  crossed 
the  antechamber,  which  was  beginning  to  fill  with  gentlemen. 

"  Good  morning,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  I  am  going  to  the 
King." 

And  to  distract  his  consuming  anxiety,  and  perhaps  to  pre- 
pare an  alibi,  D'Alenqon  descended  to  his  brother's  apart- 
ments. Why  did  he  go  there  ?  He  did  not  know.  What  had 
he  to  say  ?  Nothing  !  It  was  not  Charles  he  sought  —  it  was 
Henry  he  fled. 

He  took  the  winding  staircase  and  found  the  door  of  the 
King's  apartments  half  opened.  The  guards  let  the  duke 
enter  without  opposition.  On  hunting  days  there  was  neither 
etiquette  nor  orders. 

Francois  traversed  successively  the  antechamber,  the  salon, 
and  the  bedroom  without  meeting  any  one.  He  thought 


THE   TREATISE   ON  HUNTING.  447 

Charles  must  be  in  the  armory  and  opened  the  door  leading 
thither. 

The  King  was  seated  before  a  table,  in  a  deep  carved  arm- 
chair. He  had  his  back  to  the  door,  and  appeared  to  be 
absorbed  in  what  he  was  doing. 

The  duke  approached  on  tiptoe ;  Charles  was  reading. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  cried  he,  suddenly,  "  this  is  a  fine  book.  I 
had  heard  of  it,  but  I  did  not  know  it  could  be  had  in  France." 

D'AlenQon  listened  and  advanced  a  step. 

"  Cursed  leaves ! "  said  the  King,  Avetting  his  thumb  and 
applying  it  to  the  pages ;  "  it  looks  as  though  they  had  been 
stuck  together  on  purpose  to  conceal  the  wonders  they  contain 
from  the  eyes  of  man." 

D'Alenqon  bounded  forward.  The  book  over  which  Charles 
was  bending  was  the  one  he  had  left  in  Henry's  room.  A 
dull  cry  broke  from  him. 

"  Ah,  is  it  you,  Francois  ? "  said  Charles,  "  you  are  wel- 
come ;  come  and  see  the  finest  book  on  hunting  which  ever 
came  from  the  pen  of  man." 

D'AleiiQon's  first  impulse  was  to  snatch  the  volume  from 
the  hands  of  his  brother ;  but  an  infernal  thought  restrained 
him  ;  a  frightful  smile  passed  over  his  pallid  lips,  and  he  rubbed 
his  hand  across  his  eyes  like  a  man  dazed.  Then  recovering 
himself  by  degrees,  but  without  moving : 

"  Sire,"  he  asked,  "  how  did  this  book  come  into  your 
Majesty's  possession  ?  " 

"  I  went  into  Henriot's  I'ooni  this  morning  to  see  if  he  was 
ready ;  he  was  not  there,  he  was  probably  strolling  about  the 
kennels  or  the  stables ;  at  any  rate,  instead  of  him  I  found 
this  treasure,  which  I  brought  here  to  read  at  my  leisure." 

And  the  King  again  moistened  his  thumb,  and  again  turned 
over  an  obstinate  page. 

"  Sire,"  stammered  D'Alenqon,  whose  hair  stood  on  end,  and 
whose  whole  body  was  seized  with  a  terrible  agony.  "  Sire,  I 
came  to  tell  you  " 

"  Let  me  finish  this  chapter,  Francois,"  said  Charles,  "  and 
then  you  shall  tell  me  anything  you  wish.  I  have  read  or 
rather  devoured  fifty  pages." 

"  He  has  tasted  the  poison  twenty-five  times,"  murmured 
Francois ;  "  my  brother  is  a  dead  man  !  " 

Then  the  thought  came  to  him  that  there  was  a  God  in 
heaven  who  perhaps  after  all  was  not  chance. 


448  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

With  trembling  hand  the  duke  wiped  away  the  cold  per- 
spiration which  stood  in  drops  on  his  brow,  and  waited  in 
silence,  as  his  brother  had  bade  him  do,  until  the  chapter  was 
finished. 


CHAPTER   L. 

HAWKING. 

CHARLES  still  read.  In  his  curiosity  he  seemed  to  devour 
the  pages,  and  each  page,  as  we  have  said,  either  because  of 
the  dampness  to  which  it  had  been  exposed  for  so  long  or 
from  some  other  cause,  adhered  to  the  next. 

With  haggard  eyes  D'Alenqon  gazed  at  this  terrible  spec- 
tacle, the  end  of  which  he  alone  could  see.  • 

"  Oh  ! "  he  murmured,  "  what  will  happen  ?  I  shall  go 
away,  into  exile,  and  seek  an  imaginary  throne,  while  at  the 
first  news  of  Charles's  illness  Henry  will  return  to  some  forti- 
fied town  near  the  capital,  and  watch  this  prey  sent  us  by 
chance,  able  at  a  single  stride  to  reach  Paris ;  so  that  before 
the  King  of  Poland  even  hears  the  news  of  my  brother's 
death  the  dynasty  will  be  changed.  This  cannot  be  ! " 

Such  were  the  thoughts  which  dominated  the  first  invol- 
untary feeling  of  horror  that  had  urged  Franqois  to  warn 
Charles.  It  was  the  never-failing  fatality  which  seemed  to 
preserve  Henry  and  follow  the  Valois  which  the  duke  was 
again  going  to  try  to  thwart.  In  an  instant  his  whole  plan 
with  regard  to  Henry  was  altered.  It  was  Charles  and  not 
Henry  who  had  read  the  poisoned  book.  Henry  was  to  have 
gone,  and  gone  condemned  to  die.  The  moment  fate  had  again 
saved  him,  Henry  must  remain  ;  for  Henry  was  less  to  be  feared 
in  the  Bastille  or  as  prisoner  at  Vincennes  than  as  the  King  of 
Navarre  at  the  head  of  thirty  thousand  men. 

The  Due  d'Alenqon  let  Charles  finish  his  chapter,  and  when 
the  King  had  raised  his  head  : 

"  Brother,"  said  the  duke,  "  I  have  waited  because  your 
Majesty  ordered  me  to  do  so,  but  I  regret  it,  because  I  have 
something  of  the  greatest  importance  to  say  to  you." 

"  Go  to  the  devil  ! "  said  Charles,  whose  cheeks  were  slowly 
turning  a  dull  red,  either  because  he  had  been  too  much  en- 
grossed in  his  reading  or  because  the  poison  had  begun  to  act. 


HA  WRING.  449 

"  Go  to  the  devil !  If  you  have  come  to  discuss  that  same 
subject  again,  you  shall  leave  as  did  the  King  of  Poland. 
I  rid  myself  of  him,  and  I  will  do  the  same  to  you  without 
further  talk  about  it." 

"  It  is  not  about  my  leaving,  brother,  that  I  want  to  speak  to 
you,  but  about  some  one  else  who  is  going  away.  Your  Majesty 
has  touched  me  in  my  most  sensitive  point,  my  love  for  you  as 
a  brother,  my  devotion  to  you  as  a  subject ;  and  I  hope  to 
prove  to  you  that  I  am  no  traitor." 

"  Well,"  said  Charles,  as  he  leaned  his  elbow  on  the  book, 
crossed  his  legs,  and  looked  at  D'Alenqon  like  a  man  who  is 
trying  to  be  patient.  "  Some  fresh  report,  some  accusation  ?  " 

"  No,  sire,  a  certainty,  a  plot,  which  my  foolish  scruples 
alone  prevented  my  revealing  to  you  before." 

"  A  plot  ?  "  said  Charles,  "  well,  let  us  hear  about  it." 

"  Sire,"  said  Francois,  "  while  your  Majesty  hawks  near  the 
river  in  the  plain  of  Vesinet  the  King  of  Navarre  will  escape 
to  the  forest  of  Saint  Germain,  where  a  troop  of  friends  will 
be  waiting  to  flee  with  him." 

"Ah,  I  knew  it,"  said  Charles,  "  another  calumny  against 
my  poor  Henry  !  When  will  you  be  through  with  him  ?  " 

"  Your  Majesty  need  not  wait  long  at  least  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  what  I  have  just  had  the  honor  of  telling  you 
is  a  calumny." 

"  How  so  ?  " 

"  Because  this  evening  our  brother-in-law  will  be  gone." 

Charles  rose. 

"  Listen,"  said  he,  "  I  will  try  for  the  last  time  to  believe 
you ;  but  I  warn  you,  both  you  and  your  mother,  that  it  will 
be  the  last  time." 

Then  raising  his  voice  : 

"  Summon  the  King  of  Navarre  !  "  he  cried. 

A  guard  started  to  obey,  but  Franqois  stopped  him  with  a 
gesture. 

"  This  is  a  poor  way,  brother,  to  learn  anything,"  said  he. 
''  Henry  will  deny,  will  give  a  signal,  his  accomplices  will  be 
Avarned  and  will  disappear.  Then  my  mother  and  myself  will 
be  accused  not  only  of  being  visionary  but  of  being  calumnia- 
tors." 

"  What  do  you  want,  then  ?  " 

"  In  the  name  of  our  brotherly  love  I  ask  your  Majesty  to 
listen  to  me,  in  the  name  of  my  devotion,  which  you  will  real- 


450  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

ize,  I  want  you  to  do  nothing  hastily.  Act  so  that  the  real 
culprit,  who  for  two  years  has  been  betraying  your  Majesty  in 
will  as  well  as  in  deed,  may  at  last  be  recognized  as  guilty  by 
an  infallible  proof,  and  punished  as  he  deserves." 

Charles  did  not  answer,  but  going  to  a  window  raised  it. 
The  blood  was  rushing  to  his  head. 

Then  turning  round  quickly  : 

"  Well  !  "  said  he,  "  what  would  you  do  ?     Speak,  Frangois." 

"  Sire,"  said  D'Alenqon,  "  I  would  surround  the  forest  of 
Saint  Germain  with  three  detachments  of  light  horse,  who  at  a 
given  hour,  eleven  o'clock,  for  instance,  should  start  out  and 
drive  every  one  in  the  forest  to  the  Pavilion  of  Francis  I., 
which  I  would,  as  if  by  chance,  have  indicated  as  the  meeting- 
place.  Then  I  would  spur  on,  as  if  following  my  falcon,  to 
the  meeting-place,  where  Henry  should  be  captured  with  his 
companions." 

"  The  idea  is  good,"  said  the  King  ;  "  summon  the  captain 
of  the  guards." 

D'Alenqon  drew  from  his  doublet  a  silver  whistle,  sus- 
pended from  a  gold  chain,  and  raised  it  to  his  lips. 

De  ISTancey  appeared. 

Charles  gave  him  some  orders  in  a  low  tone. 

Meanwhile  Acteon,  the  great  greyhound,  had  dragged  a 
book  from  the  table,  and  was  tossing  it  about  the  room,  mak- 
ing great  bounds  after  it.  , 

Charles  turned  round  and  uttered  a  terrible  oath.  The  book 
was  the  precious  treatise  on  hunting,  of  which  there  existed 
only  three  copies  in  the  world. 

The  punishment  was  proportionate  to  the  offence. 

Charles  seized  a  whip  and  gave  the  dog  three  whistling  blows. 

Acteon  uttered  a  howl,  and  fled  under  a  table  covered  with 
a  large  cloth  which  served  him  as  a  hiding-place. 

Charles  picked  up  the  book  and  saw  with  joy  that  only  one 
leaf  was  gone,  and  that  was  not  a  page  of  the  text,  but  an 
engraving.  He  placed  the  volume  carefully  away  on  a  shelf 
where  Acteon  could  not  reach  it.  D'Alencjon  looked  anxiously 
at  him.  Now  that  the  book  had  fulfilled  its  dread  mission  he 
would  have  liked  to  see  it  out  of  Charles's  hands. 

Six  o'clock  struck.  It  was  time  for  the  King  to  descend  to 
the  court-yard,  already  filled  with  horses  richly  caparisoned, 
and  elegantly  dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen.  The  hunters 
held  on  their  wrists  their  hooded  falcons ;  some  outriders  car- 


HA  WK1NG.  451 

ried  horns  wound  with  scarfs,  in  case  the  King,  as  sometimes 
happened,  grew  weary  of  hawking,  and  wished  to  hunt  a  deer 
or  a  chamois. 

Charles  closed  the  door  of  his  armory  and  descended. 
D'Aleuqon  watched  each  movement  closely,  and  saw  him  put 
the  key  in  his  pocket. 

As  he  went  down  the  stairs  Charles  stopped  and  raised  his 
hand  to  his  head. 

The  limbs  of  the  Due  d'Alenc.on  trembled  no  less  than  did 
those  of  the  King. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  the  duke,  u  that  there  is  going  to  be  a 
storm." 

"A  storm  in  January  !  "  said  Charles  ;  "you  are  mad.  No, 
I  am  dizzy,  my  skin  is  dry,  I  am  weak,  that  is  all." 

Then  in  a  low  tone  : 

"  They  will  kill  me,"  he  murmured,  "  with  their  hatred  and 
their  plots." 

But  on  reaching  the  court  the  fresh  morning  air,  the  shouts 
of  the  hunters,  the  loud  greetings  of  the  hundred  people 
gathered  there,  produced  their  usual  effect  on  Charles. 

He  breathed  freely  and  happily.  His  first  thought  was  for 
Henry,  who  was  beside  Marguerite. 

This  excellent  couple  seemed  to  care  so  much  for  each  other 
that  they  were  unable  to  be  apart. 

On  perceiving  Charles,  Henry  spurred  his  horse,  and  in 
three  bounds  was  beside  him. 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  said  Charles,  "  you  are  mounted  as  if  you  were 
going  to  hunt  the  stag,  Henriot ;  but  you  know  we  are  going 
hawking  to-day." 

Then  without  waiting  for  a  reply : 

"  Forward,  gentlemen,  forward  !  we  must  be  hunting  by 
nine  o'clock  ! "  and  Charles  frowned  and  spoke  in  an  almost 
threatening  tone. 

Catharine  was  watching  everything  from  a  window,  behind 
which  a  curtain  was  drawn  back,  showing  her  pale  face.  She 
herself  was  dressed  in  black  and  was  hidden  from  view. 

At  the  order  from  Charles  all  this  gilded,  embroidered,  per- 
fumed crowd,  with  the  King  at  its  head,  lengthened  out  to 
pass  through  the  gate  of  the  Louvre,  and  swept  like  an  ava- 
lanche along  the  road  to  Saint  Germain,  amid  the  shouts  of 
the  people,  who  saluted  the  young  King  as  he  rode  by,  thought- 
ful and  pensive,  on  his  white  horse. 


452  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you  ?  "  asked  Marguerite  of  Henry. 

"  He  congratulated  me  on  the  speed  of  my  horse." 

«  Was  that  all  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  he  suspects  something." 

"  I  fear  so." 

"  Let  us  be  cautious." 

Henry's  face  lighted  up  with  one  of  his  beautiful  smiles, 
which  meant  especially  to  Marguerite,  "  Be  easy,  my  love." 
As  to  Catharine,  scarcely  had  the  cortege  left  the  court  of  the 
Louvre  before  she  dropped  the  curtain. 

But  she  had  not  failed  to  see  one  thing,  namely,  Henry's 
pallor,  his  nervousness,  and  his  low-toned  conversation  with 
Marguerite. 

Henry  was  pale  because,  not  having  physical  courage,  his 
blood,  under  all  circumstances  in  which  his  life  was  at  stake, 
instead  of  rushing  to  his  head,  as  is  usually  the  case,  flowed  to 
his  heart.  He  was  nervous  because  the  manner  in  which  he 
had  been  received  by  Charles,  so  different  from  usual,  had 
made  a  deep  impression  on  him.  Finally,  he  had  conferred 
with  Marguerite  because,  as  we  know,  the  husband  and  wife 
had  formed,  so  far  as  politics  were  concerned,  an  alliance 
offensive  and  defensive. 

But  Catharine  had  interpreted  these  facts  differently. 

"  This  time,"  she  murmured,  with  her  Florentine  smile,  "  I 
think  I  may  rely  on  my  dear  Henriot." 

Then  to  satisfy  herself,  having  waited  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
to  give  the  party  time  to  leave  Paris,  she  went  out  of  her 
room,  mounted  the  winding  staircase,  and  with  the  help  of  her 
pass-key  opened  the  door  of  the  apartments  of  the  King  of 
Navarre.  She  searched,  but  in  vain,  for  the  book.  In  vain 
she  looked  on  every  table,  shelf,  and  in  every  closet ;  nowhere 
could  she  find  it. 

"  D'Alenc/m  must  have  taken  it  away,"  said  she,  "  that  was 
wise." 

And  she  descended  to  her  own  chamber,  quite  sure  this  time 
that  her  plan  would  succeed. 

The  King  went  on  towards  Saint  Germain,  which  he  reached 
after  a  rapid  ride  of  an  hour  and  a  half.  They  did  not  ascend 
to  the  old  castle,  which  rose  dark  and  majestic  in  the  midst  of 
the  houses  scattered  over  the  mountain.  They  crossed  the 
wooden  bridge,  which  at  that  time  was  opposite  the  tree 


V 


'- 


AS    THOUGH     IT     UNDERSTOOD     THE    WORDS,   THE     NOBLE     BIRD     ROSE 
LIKE   AN    ARROW. 


HA  WRING.  453 

to-day  called  the  "  Sully  Oak."  Then  they  signed  for  the  boats 
adorned  with  flags  which  followed  the  hunting-party  to  aid  the 
King  and  his  suite  in  crossing  the  river.  This  was  done.  In- 
stantly all  the  joyous  procession,  animated  by  such  varied  in- 
terests, again  began  to  move,  led  by  the  King,  over  the  magni- 
ficent plain  which  stretched  from  the  wooded  summit  of  Saint 
Germain,  and  which  suddenly  assumed  the  appearance  of  a 
great  carpet  covered  with  people,  dotted  with  a  thousand 
colors,  and  of  which  the  river  foaming  along  its  banks  seemed 
a  silver  fringe. 

Ahead  of  the  King,  still  on  his  white  horse  and  holding  his 
favorite  falcon,  rode  the  beaters,  in  their  long  green  close- 
fitting  coats  and  high  boots,  calling  now  and  then  to  the  half 
dozen  great  dogs,  and  beating,  with  their  whips,  the  reeds 
which  grew  along  the  river  banks. 

At  that  moment  the  sun,  until  then  hidden  behind  a  cloud, 
suddenly  burst  forth  and  lighted  with  one  of  its  rays  all  that 
procession  of  gold,  all  the  ornaments,  all  the  glowing  eyes,  and 
turned  everything  into  a  torrent  of  flame.  Then,  as  if  it  had 
waited  for  that  moment  so  that  the  sun  might  shine  on  its 
defeat,  a  heron  rose  from  the  midst  of  the  reeds  with  a  pro- 
longed and  plaintiff  cry. 

"  Haw !  Haw"! "  cried  Charles,  unhooding  his  falcon  and 
sending  it  after  the  fugitive. 

"  Haw  !  Haw !  "  cried  every  voice  to  encourage  the  bird. 

The  falcon,  dazzled  for  an  instant  by  the  light,  turned, 
described  a  circle,  then  suddenly  perceiving  the  heron,  dashed 
after  it. 

But  the  heron,  like  a  prudent  bird,  had  risen  a  hundred 
yards  before  the  beaters,  and  while  the  King  had  been  unhood- 
ing his  falcon,  and  while  the  latter  had  been  growing  accus- 
tomed to  the  light,  it  had  gained  a  considerable  height,  so  that 
by  the  time  its  enemy  saw  it,  it  had  risen  more  than  five 
hundred  feet,  and  finding  in  the  higher  zones  the  air  necessary 
for  its  powerful  wings,  continued  to  mount  rapidly. 

"  Haw  !  Haw !  Iron  Beak  !  "  cried  Charles,  cheering  his 
falcon.  "  Show  us  that  you  are  a  thoroughbred  I  Haw ! 
Haw  !  " 

As  if  it  understood  the  words  the  noble  bird  rose  like  an 
arrow,  described  a  diagonal  line,  then  a  vertical  one,  as  the 
heron  had  done,  and  mounted  higher  and  higher  as  though  it 
would  soon  disappear  in  the  upper  air. 


454  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

"  Ah  !  coward  !  "  cried  Charles,  as  if  the  fugitive  could  hear 
him,  and,  spurring  his  horse,  he  followed  the  flight  of  the  birds 
as  far  as  he  could,  his  head  thrown  back  so  as  not  to  lose  sight 
of  them  for  an  instant.  "  Ah  !  double  coward  !  You  run  !  My 
Iron  Beak  is  a  thoroughbred ;  on  !  on  !  Haw,  Iron  Beak ! 
Haw  !  " 

The  contest  was  growing  exciting.  The  birds  were  begin- 
ning to  approach  each  other,  or  rather  the  falcon  was  near- 
ing  the  heron.  The  only  question  was  which  could  rise  the 
higher. 

Fear  had  stronger  wings  than  courage.  The  falcon  passed 
under  the  heron,  and  the  latter,  profiting  by  its  advantage, 
dealt  a  blow  with  its  long  beak. 

The  falcon,  as  though  hit  by  a  dagger,  described  three  circles, 
apparently  overcome,  and  for  an  instant  it  looked  as  if  the 
bird  would  fall.  But  like  a  warrior,  who  when  wounded 
rises  more  terrible  than  before,  it  uttered  a  sharp  and  threaten- 
ing cry,  and  went  after  the  heron.  The  latter,  making  the 
most  of  its  advantage,  had  changed  the  direction  of  its  flight 
and  turned  toward  the  forest,  trying  this  time  to  gain  in  dis- 
tance instead  of  in  height,  and  so  escape.  But  the  falcon  was 
indeed  a  thoroughbred,  with  the  eye  of  a  gerfalcon. 

It  repeated  the  same  manoeuvre,  rose  diagonally  after  the 
heron,  which  gave  two  or  three  cries  of  distress  and  strove  to 
rise  perpendicularly  as  at  first. 

At  the  end  of  a  few  seconds  the  two  birds  seemed  again 
about  to  disappear.  The  heron  looked  no  larger  than  a  lark, 
and  the  falcon  was  a  black  speck  which  every  moment  grew 
smaller. 

Neither  Charles  nor  his  suite  any  longer  followed  the  flight 
of  the  birds.  Each  one  stopped,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  clouds. 

"  Bravo  !  Bravo  !  Iron-beak !  "  cried  Charles,  suddenly. 
"  See,  see,  gentlemen,  he  is  uppermost !  Haw !  haw  ! " 

"  Faith,  I  can  see  neither  of  them,"  said  Henry. 

"  Nor  I,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  Well,  but  if  you  cannot  see  them,  Henry,  you  can  hear 
them,"  said  Charles,  "  at  least  the  heron.  Listen !  listen  !  he 
asks  quarter ! " 

Two  or  three  plaintive  cries  were  heard  which  a  practised  ear 
alone  could  detect. 

"  Listen !  "  cried  Charles,  "  and  you  will  see  them  come 
down  more  quickly  than  they  went  up." 


HA  WK1NG.  455 

As  the  King  spoke,  the  two  birds  reappeared.  They  were 
still  only  two  black  dots,  but  from  the  size  of  the  dots  the 
falcon  seemed  to  be  uppermost. 

"  See  !  see  ! "  cried  Charles,  "  Iron  Beak  has  him !  " 

The  heron,  outwitted  by  the  bird  of  prey,  no  longer  strove  to 
defend  itself.  It  descended  rapidly,  constantly  struck  at  by 
the  falcon,  and  answered  only  by  its  cries.  Suddenly  it 
folded  its  wings  and  dropped  like  a  stone  ;  but  its  adversary 
did  the  same,  and  when  the  fugitive  again  strove  to  resume  its 
flight  a  last  blow  of  the  beak  finished  it ;  it  continued  to  fall, 
turning  over  and  over,  and  as  it  touched  the  earth  the  falcon 
swooped  down  and  uttered  a  cry  of  victory  which  drowned  the 
cry  of  defeat  of  the  vanquished. 

"  To  the  falcon  !  the  falcon  !  "  shouted  Charles,  spurring  his 
horse  to  the  place  where  the  birds  had  fallen.  But  suddenly 
he  reined  in  his  steed,  uttered  a  cry,  dropped  his  bridle,  and 
grasping  his  horse's  mane  with  one  hand  pressed  the  other  to 
his  stomach  as  though  he  would  tear  out  his  very  vitals. 

All  the  courtiers  hastened  to  him. 

"  It  is  nothing,  nothing,"  said  Charles,  with  inflamed  face 
and  haggard  eye ;  "  it  seemed  as  if  a  red-hot  iron  were  passing 
through  me  just  now  ;  but  forward !  it  is  nothing." 

And  Charles  galloped  on. 

D'AlenQon  turned  pale. 

"  What  now  ?  "  asked  Henry  of  Marguerite. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  she  ;  "  but  did  you  see  ?  My 
brother  was  purple  in  the  face." 

"  He  is  not  usually  so,"  said  Henry. 

The  courtiers  glanced  at  one  another  in  surprise  and  fol- 
lowed the  King. 

They  arrived  at  the  scene  of  combat.  The  falcon  had 
already  begun  to  peck  at  the  head  of  the  heron. 

Charles  sprang  from  his  horse  to  obtain  a  nearer  view ;  but 
on  alighting  he  was  obliged  to  seize  hold  of  the  saddle.  The 
ground  seemed  to  spin  under  him.  He  felt  very  sleepy. 

"  Brother !  Brother !  "  cried  Marguerite ;  "  what  is  the 
matter  ?  " 

"  I  feel,"  said  Charles,  "  as  Portia  must  have  felt  when  she 
swallowed  her  burning  coals.  I  am  burning  up  and  my  breath 
seems  on  fire." 

Charles  exhaled  his  breath  and  seemed  surprised  not  to  see 
fine  issue  from  his  lips. 


456  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

The  falcon  had  been  caught  and  hooded  again,  and  every 
one  had  gathered  around  the  King. 

"  Why,  what  does  it  mean  ?  Great  Heavens  !  It  cannot  be 
anything,  or  if  it  is  it  must  be  the  sun  which  is  affecting  my 
head  and  blinding  my  eyes.  So  on,  on,  to  the  hunt,  gentle- 
men !  There  is  a  whole  flight  of  herons.  Unhood  the  falcons, 
all  of  them,  by  Heaven  !  now  for  some  sport !  " 

Instantly  five  or  six  falcons  were  unhooded  and  let  loose. 
They  rose  in  the  direction  of  the  prey,  while  the  entire  party, 
the  King  at  their  head,  reached  the  bank  of  the  river. 

"  Well !  what  do  you  say,  rnadame  ? "  asked  Henry  of 
Marguerite. 

11  That  the  moment  is  favorable,  and  that  if  the  King  does 
not  look  back  we  can  easily  reach  the  forest  from  here." 

Henry  called  the  attendant  who  was  carrying  the  heron,  and 
while  the  noisy,  gilded  avalanche  swept  along  the  road  which 
to-day  is  a  terrace  he  remained  behind  as  if  to  examine  the 
dead  bird. 


CHAPTER    LI. 

THE    PAVILION    OF    FRANCOIS    I. 

HAWKING  was  a  beautiful  sport  as  carried  on  by  kings,  when 
kings  were  almost  demi-gods,  and  when  the  chase  was  not  only 
a  pastime  but  an  art. 

Nevertheless  we  must  leave  the  royal  spectacle  to  enter  a 
part  of  the  forest  where  the  actors  in  the  scene  we  have  just 
described  will  soon  join  us. 

The  Allee  des  Violettes  was  a  long,  leafy  arcade  and  mossy 
retreat  in  which,  among  lavender  and  heather,  a  startled  hare 
now  and  then  pricked  up  its  ears,  and  a  wandering  stag 
raised  its  head  heavy  with  horns,  opened  its  nostrils,  and 
listened.  To  the  right  of  this  alley  was  an  open  space  far 
enough  from  the  road  to  be  invisible,  but  not  so  far  but  that 
the  road  could  be  seen  from  it. 

In  the  middle  of  the  clearing  two  men  were  lying  on  the 
grass.  Under  them  were  travellers'  cloaks,  at  their  sides  long 
swords,  and  near  each  of  them  a  musketoon  (then  called  a 
petronel)  with  the  muzzle  turned  from  them.  In  the  richness 
of  their  costume  they  resembled  the  joyous  characters  of  the 


THE    PAVILION    OF   FRANCOIS    I.  457 


"  Decameron  ;  "  on  closer  view,  by  the  threatening  aspect  of  their 
weapons,  they  seemed  like  those  forest  robbers  whom  a  hundred 
years  later  Salvator  Rosa  painted  from  nature  in  his  landscapes. 
One  of  them  was  leaning  on  his  hand  and  on  one  knee,  listen- 
ing as  attentively  as  the  hare  or  deer  we  mentioned  above. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  this  one,  "  that  the  hunt  was  very 
near  us  just  now.  I  heard  the  cries  of  the  hunters  cheering 
the  falcon." 

"  And  now,"  said  the  other,  who  seemed  to  await  events  with 
much  more  philosophy  than  his  companion,  "now  I  hear  noth- 
ing more  ;  they  must  have  gone  away.  I  told  you  this  was  a 
poor  place  from  which  to  see  anything.  We  cannot  be  seen, 
it  is  true  ;  but  we  cannot  see,  either." 

"  The  devil  !  my  dear  Annibal,"  said  the  first  speaker,  "  we 
had  to  put  our  horses  somewhere,  as  well  as  the  mules,  which, 
by  the  way,  are  so  heavily  laden  that  I  do  not  see  how  they 
can  follow  us.  Now  I  know  that  these  old  beeches  and  oaks 
are  perfectly  suited  to  this  difficult  task.  I  should  venture  to 
say  that  far  from  blaming  Monsieur  de  Mouy  as  you  are  doing, 
I  recognize  in  every  detail  of  the  enterprise  he  is  directing 
the  common  sense  of  a  true  conspirator." 

"  Good  !  "  said  the  second  gentleman,  whom  no  doubt  our 
reader  has  already  recognized  as  Coconnas  ;  "  good  !  that  is  the 
word  !  I  expected  it  !  I  relied  on  you  for  it  !  So  we  are  con- 
spiring ?  " 

"  We  are  not  conspiring  ;  we  are  serving  the  king  and  the 
queen." 

"  Who  are  conspiring  and  which  amounts  to  the  same  for  us." 

"  Coconnas.  I  have  told  you,"  said  La  Mole,  "  that  I  do  not 
in  the  least  fo?ce  you  to  follow  me  in  this  affair.  I  have  under- 
taken it  oi>ly  because  of  a  particular  sentiment,  which  you 
can  neither  feel  nor  share." 

"Well-  by  Heaven!  Who  said  that  you  were  forcing  me? 
In  the  first  place,  I  know  of  no  one  who  couid  compel  Coconnas, 
to  do  what  he  did  not  wish  to  do  ;  but  do  you  suppose  that  I 
would  let  you  go  without  following  you,  especially  when  I  see 
that-  you  are  going  to  the  devil  ?  " 

"  Annibal  !  Annibal  !  "  said  La  Mole,  "  I  think  that  I  see 
her  white  palfrey  in  the  distance.  Oh  !  it  is  strange  how  my 
heart  throbs  at  the  mere  thought  of  her  coming  !  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  strange,"  said  Coconnas,  yawning  ;  "  my  heart 
does  not  throb  in  the  least." 


458  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  It  is  not  she,"  said  La  Mole.  "  What  can  have  happened? 
They  were  to  be  here  at  noon,  I  thought." 

"It  happens  that  it  is  not  noon,"  said  Coconnas,  "that  is 
all,  and,  apparently,  we  still  have  time  to  take  a  nap." 

So  saying,  Coconnas  stretched  himself  on  his  cloak  like  a 
man  who  is  about  to  add  practice  to  precept ;  but  as  his  ear 
touched  the  ground  he  raised  his  finger  and  motioned  La  Mole 
to  be  silent. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  the  latter. 

"  Hush  !  this  time  I  am  sure  I  hear  something." 

"  That  is  singular  ;   I  have  listened,  but  I  hear  nothing." 

"  Nothing  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Well !  "  said  Coconnas,  rising  and  laying  his  hand  on  La 
Mole's  arm,  "  look  at  that  deer." 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  Yonder." 

Coconnas  pointed  to  the  animal. 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  will  see." 

La  Mole  watched  the  deer.  With  head  bent  forward  as 
though  about  to  browse  it  listened  without  stirring.  Soon  it 
turned  its  head,  covered  with  magnificent  branching  horns,  in 
the  direction  from  which  no  doubt  the  sound  carne.  Then 
suddenly,  without  apparent  cause,  it  disappeared  like  a  flash 
of  lightning. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  La  Mole,  "  I  believe  you  are  right,  for  the  deer 
has  fled." 

"  Because  of  that,"  said  Coconnas,  "  it  must  have  heard  what 
you  have  not  heard." 

In  short,  a  faint,  scarcely  perceptible  sound  quivered  vaguely 
through  the  passes ;  to  less  practised  ears  it  would  have  seemed 
like  the  breeze ;  for  the  two  men  it  was  the  far-off  galloping  of 
horses.  In  an  instant  La  Mole  was  on  his  feet. 

"  Here  they  are !  "  said  he  ;  "  quick." 

Coconnas  rose,  but  more  calmly.  The  energy  of  the  Pied- 
montese  seemed  to  have  passed  into  the  heart  of  La  Mole, 
while  on  the  other  hand  the  indolence  of  the  latter  seemed  to 
have  taken  possession  of  his  friend.  One  acted  with  enthusi- 
asm ;  the  other  with  reluctance.  Soon  a  regular  and  measured 
sound  struck  the  ear  of  the  two  friends.  The  neighing  of  a 
horse  made  the  coursers  they  had  tied  ten  paces  away  prick  up 


THE    PAVILION    OF   FRANCOIS    I.  459 

their  ears,  as  through  the  alley  there  passed  like  a  white 
shadow  a  woman  who,  turning  towards  them,  made  a  strange 
sign  and  disappeared. 

"  The  queen  !  "  they  exclaimed  together. 

"  What  can  it  mean  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  She  made  a  sign,"  said  La  Mole,  "  which  meant  '  pres- 
ently.' " 

"  She  made  a  sign,"  said  Coconnas,  "  which  meant  '  flee  ! ' ' 

"  The  signal  meant  '  wait  for  me.' '; 

"  The  signal  meant '  save  yourself.' ': 

"  Well,"  said  La  Mole,  "  let  each  act  on  his  own  conviction ; 
you  leave  and  I  will  remain." 

Coconnas  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  lay  down  again. 

At  that  moment  in  the  opposite  direction  from  that  in 
which  the  queen  was  going,  but  in  the  same  alley,  there 
passed  at  full  speed  a  troop  of  horsemen  whom  the  two 
friends  recognized  as  ardent,  almost  rabid  Protestants.  Their 
steeds  bounded  like  the  locusts  of  which  Job  said,  '  They  came 
and  went.'  " 

.  "  The  deuce !  the  affair  is  growing  serious,"  said  Coconnas, 
rising.  "Let  us  go  to  the  pavilion  of  Francois  I." 

"  No,"  said  La  Mole ;  "  if  we  are  discovered  it  will  be 
towards  the  pavilion  that  the  attention  of  the  King  will  be  at 
first  directed,  since  that  is  the  general  meeting-place." 

"  You  may  be  right,  this  time,"  grumbled  Coconnas. 

Scarcely  had  Coconnas  uttered  these  words  before  a  horse- 
man passed  among  the  trees  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  and 
leaping  ditches,  bushes,  and  all  barriers  reached  the  two 
gentlemen. 

He  held  a  pistol  in  each  hand  and  with  his  knees  alone 
guided  his  horse  in  its  furious  chase. 

"  Monsieur  de  Mouy !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  uneasy  and 
now  more  on  the  alert  than  La  Mole ;  "  Monsieur  de  Mouy 
running  away  !  Every  one  for  himself,  then  !  " 

"  Quick  !  quick  !  "  cried  the  Huguenot ;  "  away  !  all  is  lost ! 
j  have  come  around  to  tell  you  so.  Away!  " 

As  if  he  had  not  stopped  to  utter  these  words,  he  was 
gone  almost  before  they  were  spoken,  and  before  La  Mole  and 
Coconnas  realized  their  meaning. 

"  And  the  queen  ?  "  cried  La  Mole. 

But  the  young  man's  voice  was  lost  in  the  distance ;  De 
Mouy  was  too  far  away  either  to  hear  or  to  answer  him. 


460  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

Coconnas  had  speedily  made  up  his  mind.  While  La  Mole 
stood  motionless,  gazing  after  De  Mouy,  who  had  disappeared 
among  the  trees,  he  ran  to  the  horses,  led  them  out,  sprang  on 
his  own,  and,  throwing  the  bridle  of  the  other  to  La  Mole,  pre- 
pared to  gallop  off. 

"  Come  !  come  !  "  cried  he ;  "  I  repeat  what  De  Mouy  said  : 
Let  us  be  off!  De  Mouy  knows  what  he  is  doing.  Come, 
La  Mole,  quick  !  " 

"  One  moment,"  said  La  Mole ;  "  we  came  here  for  some- 
thing." 

"  Unless  it  is  to  be  hanged,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  I  advise 
you  to  lose  no  more  time.  I  know  you  are  going  to  parse  some 
rhetoric,  paraphrase  the  word '  flee,'  speak  of  Horace,  who  hurled 
his  buckler,  and  Epaminondas,  who  was  brought  back  on  his. 
But  I  tell  you  one  thing,  when  Monsieur  de  Mouy  de  Saint 
Phale  flees  all  the  world  may  run  too." 

"  Monsieur  de  Mouy  de  Saint  Phale,"  said  La  Mole,  "  was 
not  charged  to  carry  off  Queen  Marguerite !  Nor  does  Mon- 
sieur de  Mouy  de  Saint  Phale  love  Queen  Marguerite !  " 

"  By  Heaven  !  he  is  right  if  this  love  would  make  him  do 
such  foolish  things  as  you  plan  doing.  May  five  hundred 
thousand  devils  from  hell  take  away  the  love  which  may  cost 
two  brave  gentlemen  their  heads !  By  Heaven !  as  King 
Charles  says,  we  are  conspiring,  my  dear  fellow  ;  and  when 
plans  fail  one  must  run.  Mount !  mount,  La  Mole !  " 

"  Mount  yourself,  my  dear  fellow,  I  will  not  prevent  you.  I 
even  urge  you  to  do  so.  Your  life  is  more  precious  than  mine. 
Defend  it,  therefore." 

"  You  must  say  to  me  :  '  Coconnas,  let  vis  be  hanged  together,' 
and  not  '  Coconnas,  save  yourself.'  ': 

"  Bah  !  my  friend,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  the  rope  is  made  for 
clowns,  not  for  gentlemen  like  ourselves." 

"  I  am  beginning  to  think,"  said  Coconnas,  "  that  the  pre- 
caution I  took  is  not  bad." 

"  What  precaution  ?  " 

"  To  have  made  friends  with  the  hangman." 

"  You  are  sinister,  my  dear  Coconnas." 

"  Well,  what  are  we  going  to  do  ?  "  cried  the  latter,  impa- 
tiently. 

"  Set  out  and  find  the  queen." 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  —  seek  the  king." 


THE    PAVILION    OF   FRANCOIS    L  461 

«  Where  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  the  least  idea ;  but  we  must  find  him,  and  we 
two  by  ourselves  can  do  what  fifty  others  neither  could  nor 
would  dare  to  do." 

"  You  appeal  to  my  pride,  Hyacinthe ;  that  is  a  bad  sign." 

"  Well !  come  ;  to  horse  and  away  !  " 

"  A  good  suggestion  !  " 

La  Mole  turned  to  seize  the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  but  just 
as  he  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup  an  imperious  voice  was 
heard : 

"  Halt  there  !  surrender !  " 

At  the  same  moment  the  figure  of  a  man  appeared  behind 
an  oak,  then  another,  then  thirty.  They  were  the  light-horse, 
who,  dismounted,  had  glided  on  all  fours  in  and  out  among  the 
bushes,  searching  the  forest. 

"  What  did  I  tell  you  ?  "  murmured  Coconnas,  in  a  low  tone. 

A  dull  groan  was  La  Mole's  only  answer. 

The  light-horse  were  still  thirty  paces  away  from  the  two 
friends. 

"  Well !  "  continued  the  Piedmontese,  in  a  loud  tone,  to  the 
lieutenant  of  the  dragoons.  "  What  is  it,  gentlemen  ?  " 

The  lieutenant  ordered  his  men  to  aim. 

Coconnas  continued  under  breath  : 

"  Mount,  La  Mole,  there  is  still  time.  Spring  into  your 
saddle  as  I  have  seen  you  do  hundreds  of  times,  and  let  us  be 
off." 

Then  turning  to  the  light-horse  : 

"  The  devil,  gentlemen,  do  not  fire ;  you  would  kill  friends." 

Then  to  La  Mole : 

"  Between  the  trees  they  cannot  aim  well ;  they  will  fire 
and  miss  us." 

"  Impossible,"  said  La  Mole,  "  we  cannot  take  Marguerite's 
horse  with  us  or  the  two  mules.  They  would  compromise  us, 
whereas  by  my  replies  I  can  avert  all  suspicion.  Go,  my 
friend,  go ! " 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Coconnas,  drawing  his  sword  and  rais- 
ing it,  "  gentlemen,  we  surrender." 

The  light-horse  dropped  their  muskets. 

"  But  first  tell  us  why  we  must  do  so  ?  " 

"  You  must  ask  that  of  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  What  crime  have  we  committed  ?  " 

"  Monsieur  d'AleiiQon  will  inform  you." 


462  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

Coconnas  and  La  Mole  looked  at  each  other.  The  name  of 
their  enemy  at  such  a  moment  did  not  greatly  reassure  them. 

Yet  neither  of  them  made  any  resistance.  Coconnas  was 
asked  to  dismount,  a  manoeuvre  which  he  executed  without  a 
word.  Then  both  were  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  light-horse 
and  took  the  road  to  the  pavilion. 

"  You  always  wanted  to  see  the  pavilion  of  Franqois  I.," 
said  Coconnas  to  La  Mole,  perceiving  through  the  trees  the 
walls  of  a  beautiful  Gothic  structure ;  "  now  it  seems  you  will." 

La  Mole  made  no  reply,  but  merely  extended  his  hand  to 
Coconnas. 

By  the  side  of  this  lovely  pavilion,  built  in  the  time  of  Louis 
XII.,  and  named  after  Franqois  I.,  because  the  latter  always 
chose  it  as  a  meeting-place  when  he  hunted,  was  a  kind  of 
hut  built  for  prickers,  partly  hidden  behind  the  muskets,  hal- 
berds, and  shining  swords  like  an  ant-hill  under  a  whiten- 
ing harvest. 

The  prisoners  were  conducted  to  this  hut. 

We  will  now  relate  what  had  happened  and  so  throw  some 
light  on  the  situation,  which  looked  very  dark,  especially  for 
the  tvv^o  friends. 

The  Protestant  gentlemen  had  assembled,  as  had  been 
agreed  on,  in  the  pavilion  of  Francois  I.,  of  which,  as  we  know, 
De  Mouy  had  the  key. 

Masters  of  the  forest,  or  at  least  so  they  had  believed,  they 
had  placed  sentinels  here  and  there  whom  the  light-horse, 
having  exchanged  their  white  scarfs  for  red  ones  (a  pre- 
caution due  to  the  ingenious  zeal  of  Monsieur  de  Nancey), 
had  surprised  and  carried  away  without  a  blow. 

The  light-horse  had  continued  their  search  surrounding  the 
pavilion ;  but  De  Mouy,  who,  as  we  know,  was  waiting  for  the 
king  at  the  end  of  the  Allee  des  Violettes,  had  perceived  the 
red  scarfs  stealing  along  and  had  instantly  suspected  them. 
He  sprang  to  one  side  so  as  not  to  be  seen,  and  noticed  that  the 
vast  circle  was  narrowing  in  such  a  way  as  to  beat  the  forest 
and  surround  the  meeting-place.  At  the  same  time,  at  the  end 
of  the  principal  alley,  he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  white 
aigrettes  and  the  shining  arquebuses  of  the  King's  bodyguard. 

Finally  he  saw  the  King  himself,  while  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection he  perceived  the  King  of  Navarre. 

Then  with  his  hat  he  had  made  a  sign  of  the  cross,  which 
was  the  signal  agreed  on  to  indicate  that  all  was  lost. 


THE  .PAVILION    OF   FRANCOIS    I.  463 

At  this  signal  the  king  had  turned  back  and  disappeared. 
De  Mouy  at  once  dug  the  two  wide  rowels  of  his  spurs  into 
the  sides  of  his  horse  and  galloped  away,  shouting  as  he  went 
the  words  of  warning  which  we  have  mentioned,  to  La  Mole 
and  Coconnas. 

Now  the  King,  who  had  noticed  the  absence  of  Henry  and 
Marguerite,  arrived,  escorted  by  Monsieur  d'Alencon,  just  as 
the  two  men  came  out  of  the  hut  to  which  he  had  said  that  all 
those  found,  not  only  in  the  pavilion  but  in  the  forest,  were  to 
be  conducted. 

D'Alencon,  full  of  confidence,  galloped  close  by  the  King, 
whose  sharp  pains  were  augmenting  his  ill  humor.  Two  or 
three  times  he  had  nearly  fainted  and  once  he  had  vomited 
blood. 

"  Come,"  said  he  on  arriving,  "  let  us  make  haste  ;  I  want 
to  return  to  the  Louvre.  Bring  out  all  these  rascals  from 
their  hole.  This  is  Saint  Blaise's  day  ;  he  was  cousin  to  Saint 
Bartholomew." 

At  these  words  of  the  King  the  entire  mass  of  pikes  and 
muskets  began  to  move,  and  one  by  one  the  Huguenots  were 
forced  out  not  only  from  the  forest  and  the  pavilion  but  from 
the  hut. 

But  the  King  of  Navarre,  Marguerite,  and  De  Mouy  were 
not  there. 

"  Well,"  said  the  King,  "  where  is  Henry  ?  Where  is  Mar- 
got  ?  You  promised  them  to  me,  D'Alenqon,  and,  by  Heaven, 
they  will  have  to  be  found  !  " 

"  Sire,  we  have  not  even  seen  the  King  and  the  Queen  of 
Navarre." 

"  But  here  they  are,"  said  Madame  de  Nevers. 

At  that  moment,  at  the  end  of  an  alley  leading  to  the  river, 
Henry  and  Margot  came  in  sight,  both  as  calm  as  if  nothing 
had  happened  ;  both  with  their  falcons  on  their  wrists,  riding 
lovingly  side  by  side,  so  that  as  they  galloped  along  their 
horses,  like  themselves,  seemed  to  be  caressing  each  other. 

It  was  then  that  D'AlenQon,  furious,  commanded  the  forest 
to  be  searched,  and  that  La  Mole  and  Coconnas  were  found 
within  their  ivy  bower.  They,  too,  in  brotherly  proximity 
entered  the  circle  formed  by  the  guards ;  only,  as  they  were 
not  sovereigns,  they  could  not  assume  so  calm  a  manner  as 
Henry  and  Marguerite.  La  Mole  was  too  pale  and  Coconnas 
too  red. 


464  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 


CHAPTER   LIT. 

THE    EXAMINATION. 

THE  spectacle  which  struck  the  young  men  as  they  entered 
the  circle,  although  seen  but  for  a  few  moments,  was  one  never 
to  be  forgotten. 

As  we  have  said,  Charles  IX.  had  watched  the  gentlemen  as 
the  guards  led  them  one  by  one  from  the  pricker's  hut. 

Both  he  and  D'Alencon  anxiously  followed  every  movement, 
waiting  to  see  the  King  of  Navarre  come  out.  Both,  however, 
were  doomed  to  disappointment.  But  it  was  not  enough  to 
know  that  the  king  was  not  there,  it  was  necessary  to  find  out 
what  had  become  of  him. 

Therefore  when  the  young  couple  were  seen  approaching 
from  the  end  of  the  alley,  D'Alenqon  turned  pale,  while 
Charles  felt  his  heart  grow  glad ;  he  instinctively  desired  that 
everything  his  brother  had  forced  him  to  do  should  fall  back 
on  the  duke. 

"  He  will  outwit  us  again,"  murmured  Francois,  growing 
still  paler. 

At  that  moment  the  King  was  seized  with  such  violent  pains 
that  he  dropped  his  bridle,  pressed  both  hands  to  his  sides,  and 
shrieked  like  a  madman. 

Henry  hastily  approached  him,  but  by  the  time  he  had 
traversed  the  few  hundred  feet  which  separated  them,  Charles 
had  recovered. 

"  Whence  do  you  come,  monsieur  ?  "  said  the  King,  with 
a  sternness  that  frightened  Marguerite. 

"  Why,  from  the  hunt,  brother,"  replied  she. 

"  The  hunt  was  along  the  river  bank,  and  not  in  the  forest." 

"  My  falcon  swooped  down  on  a  pheasant  just  as  we  stopped 
behind  every  one  to  look  at  the  heron." 

"  Where  is  the  pheasant  ?  " 

"  Here ;  a  beautiful  bird,  is  it  not  ?  " 

And  Henry,  in  perfect  innocence,  held  up  his  bird  of  purple, 
blue,  and  gold  plumage. 

"  Ah !  "  said  Charles,  "  and  this  pheasant  caught,  why  did 
you  not  rejoin  me  ?  " 

"  Because  the  bird  had  directed  its  flight  towards  the  park, 
sire,  and  when  we  returned  to  the  river  bank  we  saw  you  half 


THE    EXAMINATION.  465 

a  mile  ahead  of  us,  riding  towards  the  forest.  We  set  out  to 
gallop  after  you,  therefore,  for  being  in  your  Majesty's  hunting- 
party  we  did  not  wish  to  lose  you." 

"  And  were  all  these  gentlemen  invited  also  ?  "  said  Charles. 

"  What  gentlemen  ?  "  asked  Henry,  casting  an  inquiring 
look  about. 

"  Why,  your  Huguenots,  by  Heaven  !  "  said  Charles  ;  "  at 
all  events  if  they  were  invited  it  was  not  by  me." 

"No,  sire,"  replied  Henry,  "but  possibly  Monsieur  d'Alen- 
c.on  asked  them." 

"  Monsieur  d'Alenc/ra  ?     How  so  ?  " 

"  I  ?  "  said  the  duke. 

"  Why,  yes,  brother,"  said  Henry ;  "  did  you  not  announce 
yesterday  that  you  were  King  of  Navarre  ?  The  Huguenots 
who  demanded  you  for  their  king  have  come  to  thank  you  for 
having  accepted  the  crown,  and  the  King  for  having  given  it. 
Is  it  not  so,  gentlemen  ?  " 

"  Yes  !  yes  !  "  cried  twenty  voices.  "  Long  live  the  Due 
d'AlenQon  !  Long  live  King  Charles ! " 

"  I  am  not  king  of  the  Huguenots,"  said  Fraugois,  white 
with  anger ;  then,  glancing  stealthily  at  Charles,  "  and  I  sin- 
cerely trust  I  never  shall  be  !  " 

"  No  matter !  "  said  Charles,  "  but  you  must  know,  Henry, 
that  I  consider  all  this  very  strange." 

"  Sire,"  said  the  King  of  Navarre,  firmly,  "  God  forgive  me, 
but  one  would  say  that  I  were  undergoing  an  examination." 

"  And  if  I  should  tell  you  that  you  were,  what  would  you 
answer  ?  " 

"  That  I  am  a  king  like  yourself,  sire,"  replied  Henry, 
proudly,  "  for  it  is  not  the  crown  but  birth  that  makes  royalty, 
and  that  I  would  gladly  answer  any  questions  from  my  brother 
and  my  friend,  but  never  from  my  judge." 

"And  yet,"  murmured  Charles,  "  I  should  really  like  to  know 
for  once  in  my  life  how  to  act." 

"  Let  Monsieur  de  Mouy  be  brought  out,"  said  D'Alenqou, 
"  and  then  you  will  know.  Monsieur  de  Mouy  must  be  among 
the  prisoners." 

"  Is  Monsieur  de  Mouy  here  ?  "  asked  the  King. 

Henry  felt  a  moment's  anxiety  and  exchanged  glances  with 
Marguerite  ;  but  his  uneasiness  was  of  short  duration. 

No  voice  replied. 

"  Monsieur  de  Mouy  is  not  among  the  prisoners,"  said  Mon- 


466  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

sieur  de  Nancey ;  "  some  of  our  men  think  they  saw  him,  but  no 
one  is  sure  of  it." 

D'Alengon  uttered  an  oath. 

"  Well !  "  said  Marguerite,  pointing  to  La  Mole  and  Cocon- 
nas,  who  had  heard  all  that  had  passed,  and  on  whose  intelli- 
gence she  felt  she  could  depend,  "  there  are  two  gentlemen  in 
the  service  of  Monsieur  d'Alenqon ;  question  them ;  they  will 
answer." 

The  duke  felt  the  blow. 

"  I  had  them  arrested  on  purpose  to  prove  that  they  do  not 
belong  to  me,"  said  he. 

The  King  looked  at  the  two  friends  and  started  on  seeing 
La  Mole  again. 

"  Ah !  that  Provencal  here  ?  "  said  he. 

Coconnas  bowed  graciously. 

"What  were  you  doing  when  you  were  arrested?"  asked 
the  King. 

"  Sire,  we  were  planning  deeds  of  war  and  of  love." 

"  On  horseback,  armed  to  the  teeth,  ready  for  flight !  " 

"  No,  sire,"  said  Coconnas ;  "your  Majesty  is  misinformed. 
We  were  lying  under  the  shade  of  a  beech  tree  —  sub  tegmine 
fagi" 

"  Ah  !  so  you  were  lying  under  the  shade  of  a  beech  tree  ?  " 

"  And  we  might  easily  have  escaped  had  we  thought  that  in 
any  way  we  had  roused  your  Majesty's  anger.  Now,  gentle- 
men, on  your  honor  as  soldiers,"  continued  Coconnas,  turning 
to  the  light-horse,  "  do  you  not  think  that  had  we  so  wished 
we  could  have  escaped  ?  " 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  the  lieutenant,  "  that  these  gentlemen 
did  not  even  attempt  to  run." 

"  Because  their  horses  were  too  far  away,"  said  the  Due 
d'AlenQon. 

"  I  humbly  beg  monseigneur's  pardon,"  said  Coconnas ; 
"  but  I  was  on  mine,  and  my  friend  the  Comte  Lerac  de  la 
Mole  was  holding  his  by  the  bridle." 

"  Is  this  true,  gentlemen  ?  "  said  the  King. 

"  Yes,  sire,"  replied  the  lieutenant ;  "  on  seeing  us  Monsieur 
de  Coconnas  even  dismounted." 

Coconnas  smiled  in  a  way  which  signified,  "  You  see,  sire  ! " 

"  But  the  other  horses,  the  mules,  and  the  boxes  with  which 
they  were  laden  ?  "  asked  Frangois. 


THE    EXAMINATION.  467 

"  Well,"  said  Coconnas,  "  are  we  stable  boys  ?  Send  for  the 
grooiu  who  had  charge  of  them." 

"  He  is  not  here,''  exclaimed  the  duke,  furious. 

"  Then  he  must  have  become  frightened  and  run  away,"  said 
Coconnas ;  "  one  cannot  expect  a  clown  to  have  the  manners 
of  a  gentleman." 

"Always  the  same  system,"  said  D'Alenqon,  gnashing  his 
teeth.  "  Fortunately,  sire,  I  told  you  that  for  some  time  these 
gentlemen  have  not  been  in  my  service." 

"  I !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "  am  I  unfortunate  enough  no 
longer  to  belong  to  your  highness  ?  " 

"  By  Heaven  !  monsieur,  you  ought  to  know  that  better  than 
any  one,  since  you  yourself  gave  me  your  dismissal,  in  a  letter 
so  impertinent  that,  thank  God,  I  kept  it,  and  fortunately 
have  it  with  me." 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "  I  had  hoped  that  your  high- 
ness would  forgive  me  for  a  letter  written  under  the  first  im- 
pulse of  anger.  I  had  been  told  that  your  highness  had  tried 
to  strangle  my  friend  La  Mole  in  one  of  the  corridors  of  the 
Louvre." 

"  What  is  he  saying  ?  "  interrupted  the  King. 

"  At  first  I  thought  your  highness  was  alone,"  continued 
Coconnas,  ingenuously,  "  but  afterwards  I  learned  that  three 
others  "  — 

"  Silence !  "  exclaimed  Charles ;  "  we  have  heard  enough. 
Henry,"  said  he  to  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  your  word  not  to  try 
to  escape." 

"  I  give  it  to  your  Majesty,  sire." 

"  Return  to  Paris  with  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  and  remain  in 
your  chamber  under  arrest.  You,  gentlemen,"  continued  he, 
addressing  the  two  friends,  "  give  up  your  swords." 

La  Mole  looked  at  Marguerite.  She  smiled.  La  Mole  at 
once  handed  his  sword  to  the  nearest  officer.  Coconnas  did 
the  same. 

"  Has  Monsieur  de  Mouy  been  found  ?  "  asked  the  King. 

"  No,  sire,"  said  Monsieur  de  Nancey ;  "  either  he  was  not 
in  the  forest  or  he  escaped." 

"  So  much  the  worse,"  said  the  King ;  "  but  let  us  return. 
I  am  cold  and  dizzy." 

"  Sire,  it  is  from  anger,  probably,"  said  Franqois. 

"  Possibly ;  but  my  eyes  trouble  me.     Where  are  the  pris- 


468  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

oners  ?  I  cannot  see  them.  Is  it  night  already  ?  Oh ! 
mercy  !  I  am  burning  up  !  Help  !  Help  ! " 

The  unfortunate  King  dropped  the  bridle  of  his  horse, 
stretched  out  his  arms,  and  fell  backward.  The  courtiers, 
frightened  at  this  second  attack,  caught  him  as  he  fell. 

Francois,  standing  apart,  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his 
brow,  for  he  alone  knew  the  cause  of  the  trouble  from  which 
kis  brother  was  suffering. 

On  the  other  side  the  King  of  Navarre,  already  under  the 
guard  of  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  looked  upon  the  scene  with 
growing  astonishment. 

"  Well !  well !  "  murmured  he,  with  that  wonderful  intuition 
which  at  times  made  him  seem  inspired,  "  was  I  perhaps  for- 
tunate in  having  been  stopped  in  my  flight  ?  " 

He  glanced  at  Margot,  whose  great  eyes,  wide  open  with 
surprise,  were  looking  first  at  him  and  then  at  the  King. 

This  time  Charles  was  unconscious.  A  litter  was  brought 
and  he  was  laid  on  it.  They  covered  him  with  a  cloak,  taken 
from  the  shoulders  of  one  of  the  courtiers.  The  procession 
silently  set  out  in  the  direction  of  Paris,  whence  that  morning 
light-hearted  conspirators  and  a  happy  King  had  started  forth, 
and  to  which  now  a  dying  King  was  returning,  surrounded  by 
rebel  prisoners. 

Marguerite,  who  throughout  all  this  had  lost  neither  the 
control  of  her  mind  nor  body,  gave  her  husband  a  look  of  intel- 
ligence ;  then,  passing  so  close  to  La  Mole  that  the  latter  was 
able  to  catch  the  following  two  Greek  words,  she  said : 

"  Me  deide"  which  meant,  "  Fear  nothing." 

"  What  did  she  say  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  She  told  me  to  fear  nothing,"  replied  La  Mole. 

"  So  much  the  worse,"  murmured  the  Piedmontese,  "  so  much 
the  worse ;  that  means  that  it  is  not  good  for  us  to  be  here. 
Every  time  that  word  has  been  said  to  me  in  an  encouraging 
tone  I  have  either  received  a  bullet  or  a  sword-thrust  in  my 
body,  or  a  flower  pot  on  my  head.  '  Fear  nothing,'  whether  in 
Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin,  or  French,  has  always  meant  for  me : 
<  Take  care  ! ' ' 

"  Forward,  gentlemen !  "  said  the  lieutenant  of  the  light- 
horse. 

"  Without  being  indiscreet,  monsieur,"  said  Coconnas,  "  may 
we  know  where  we  are  going  ?  " 

"  To  Vincennes,  I  think,"  said  the  lieutenant. 


THE    EXAMINATION.  469 

"  I  would  rather  go  elsewhere,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  but  one 
does  not  always  go  just  where  one  wishes." 

On  the  way  the  King  recovered  consciousness  and  some 
strength. 

At  Nanterre  he  even  wanted  to  ride,  but  this  was  not 
allowed. 

"  Summon  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare,"  said  Charles,  on  reach- 
ing the  Louvre. 

He  descended  from  his  litter,  ascended  the  stairs,  leaning  on 
the  arm  of  Tavannes,  and  entered  his  apartment,  giving  orders 
that  no  one  be  allowed  to  follow  him. 

Every  one  had  noticed  that  he  seemed  very  grave.  During 
the  journey  he  had  been  in  a  deep  study,  not  addressing  a 
word  to  any  one,  concerned  neither  with  conspiracy  nor  con- 
spirators. It  was  evident  that  he  was  occupied  with  his  ill- 
ness; a  malady  so  sudden,  so  strange,  so  severe,  some  of  the 
symptoms  of  which  had  been  noticed  in  his  brother  Franqois 
II.  a  short  time  before  his  death. 

So  the  order  to  admit  no  one  whomsoever  to  his  rooms, 
except  Maitre  Pare,  caused  no  surprise.  It  was  well  known 
that  the  prince  was  a  misanthrope.  Charles  entered  his  sleep- 
ing-room, seated  himself  in  a  folding-chair,  and  leaned  his  head 
against  the  cushions.  Then  reflecting  that  Maitre  Ambroise 
Pare  might  not  be  at  home,  and  that  there  might  be  some 
delay  before  he  saw  him,  he  decided  to  employ  the  intervening 
time. 

He  clapped  his  hands,  thus  summoning  a  guard. 

"  Say  to  the  King  of  Navarre  that  I  wish  to  speak  with 
him,"  said  Charles. 

The  man  bowed  and  withdrew. 

Just  then  Charles's  head  fell  back,  a  great  weight  seemed  to 
oppress  him  ;  his  ideas  grew  confused  ;  it  was  as  if  a  sort  of 
bloody  vapor  were  floating  before  his  eyes ;  his  mouth  was  dry, 
although  he  had  already  swallowed  a  whole  carafe  of  water. 

While  he  was  in  this  drowsy  state  the  door  opened  and 
Henry  appeared.  Monsieur  de  Nancey  had  followed  him,  but 
stopped  in  the  antechamber. 

The  King  of  Navarre  waited  until  the  door  was  closed. 
Then  he  advanced. 

"  Sire,"  said  he,  "  you  sent  for  me  ;  I  am  here." 

The  King  started  at  the  voice  and  mechanically  extended 
his  hand. 


470  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  letting  his  arms  hang  at  his  side,  "  your 
Majesty  forgets  that  I  arn  no  longer  your  brother  but  your 
prisoner." 

"  Ah  !  that  is  true,"  said  Charles.  "  Thank  you  for  having 
reminded  me  of  it.  Moreover,  it  seems  to  me  that  when  we 
last  spoke  together  you  promised  to  answer  frankly  what  I 
might  ask  you." 

"  I  am  ready  to  keep  my  word,  sire.     Ask  your  questions." 

The  King  poured  some  cold  water  into  his  hand  and  applied 
it  to  his  forehead. 

"  Tell  me,  Henry,  how  much  truth  is  there  in  the  accusa- 
tion brought  against  you  by  the  Due  d'Alengon  ?  " 

"  Only  a  little.  It  was  Monsieur  d'Alencon  who  was  to  have 
fled,  and  I  who  was  to  have  accompanied  him." 

"  And  why  should  you  have  gone  with  him  ?  Are  you  dis- 
satisfied with  me,  Henry  ?  " 

"  No,  sire ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  only  praise  for  your 
majesty ;  and  God,  who  reads  our  hearts,  knows  how  deeply  I 
love  my  brother  and  my  King." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Charles,  "  that  it  is  not  natural  to 
flee  from  those  we  love  and  who  love  us." 

"  I  was  not  fleeing  from  those  who  love  me  ;  I  was  fleeing 
from  those  who  hate  me.  Will  your  Majesty  permit  me  to 
speak  openly  ?  " 

"  Speak,  monsieur." 

"  Those  who  hate  me,  sire,  are  Monsieur  d'Alenqon  and  the 
queen  mother." 

"  As  for  Monsieur  d'Alenqon  I  will  not  answer  ;  but  the 
queen  mother  overwhelms  you  with  attentions." 

"  That  is  just  why  I  mistrust  her,  sire.  And  I  do  well  to 
do  so." 

"  Mistrust  her  ?  " 

"  Her,  or  those  about  her.  You  know,  sire,  that  the  misfor- 
tune of  kings  is  not  always  that  they  are  too  little  but  that 
they  are  too  well  served." 

"  Explain  yourself  ;  you  promised  to  tell  me  everything." 

"  Your  Majesty  will  see  that  I  will  do  so." 

"Continue." 
,   "  Your  Majesty  loves  me,  you  have  said." 

"  I  loved  you  before  your  treason,  Henry." 

"  Pretend  that  you  still  love  me,  sire." 

"  Very  well." 


THE    EXAMINATION.  471 

"  If  you  love  me  you  must  want  me  to  live,  do  you  not  ?  " 

"  I  should  be  wretched  were  any  harm  to  befall  you." 

"  Well,  sire,  twice  your  Majesty  has  just  escaped  being 
wretched." 

"How  so?" 

"  Twice  Providence  has  saved  my  life.  It  is  true  that  the 
second  time  Providence  assumed  the  features  of  your  Maj- 
esty ?  " 

"  What  form  did  it  assume  the  first  time  ?  " 

"  That  of  a  man  who  would  be  greatly  surprised  to  see  him- 
self mistaken  for  Providence;  1  mean  Rene.  You,  sire,  saved 
me  from  steel." 

Charles  frowned,  for  he  remembered  the  night  when  he  had 
taken  Henry  to  the  Rue  des  Barres. 

"  And  Rene  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Rene  saved  me  from  poison." 

"  The  deuce,  Henriot,  you  have  luck,"  said  the  King,  trying 
to  smile.  But  a  quick  spasm  of  pain  changed  the  effort  into 
a  nervous  contraction  of  the  lips.  "  That  is  not  his  pro- 
fession." 

"  Two  miracles  saved  me,  sire.  A  miracle  of  repentance  on 
the  part  of  the  Florentine,  and  a  miracle  of  goodness  on  your 
part.  Well !  I  will  confess  to  your  Majesty  that  I  am  afraid 
Heaven  will  grow  weary  of  working  miracles,  and  I  tried  to 
run  away,  because  of  the  proverb  :  '  Heaven  helps  those  who 
help  themselves.' " 

"  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  this  sooner,  Henriot  ?  " 

"  Had  I  uttered  these  words  yesterday  I  should  have  been 
a  denunciator." 

"  And  to-day  ?  " 

"  To-day  is  different  —  I  am  accused  and  I  am  defending 
myself." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  the  first  attempt,  Henriot  ?  " 

"  As  sure  as  I  am  of  the  second." 

"  And  they  tried  to  poison  you  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  With  what  ?  " 

"  With  an  opiate." 

"  How  could  they  poison  you  with  an  opiate  ?  " 

"  Why,  sire,  ask  Rene ;  poisoning  is  done  with  gloves  " 

Charles  frowned ;  then  by  degrees  his  brow  cleared. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  as  if  speaking  to  himself.    "  It  is  the  nature 


472  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

of  wild  creatures  to  flee  from  death.  Why,  then,  should  not 
knowledge  do  what  instinct  does  ?  " 

"Well,  sire !  "  said  Henry,  "  is  your  Majesty  satisfied  with 
my  frankness,  and  do  you  believe  that  I  have  told  you  every- 
thing ?  " 

"  Yes,  Henriot,  and  you  are  a  good  fellow.  Do  you  think 
that  those  who  hate  you  have  grown  weary,  or  will  new 
attempts  be  made  on  your  life  ? " 

<%  Sire,  every  evening  I  am  surprised  to  find  myself  still 
living." 

"  It  is  because  they  know  I  love  you,  Henriot,  that  they 
wish  to  kill  you.  But  do  not  worry.  They  shall  be  punished 
for  their  evil  intentions.  Meanwhile  you  are  free." 

"Free  to  leave  Paris,  sire  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  No  ;  you  well  know  that  I  cannot  possibly  do  without  you. 
In  the  name  of  a  thousand  devils !  I  must  have  some  one  here 
who  loves  me." 

"  Then,  sire,  if  your  Majesty  keep  me  with  you,  will  you 
grant  me  a  favor  "  — 

«  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Not  to  keep  me  as  a  friend,  but  as  a  prisoner.  Yes ;  does 
not  your  Majesty  see  that  it  is  your  friendship  for  me  that  is 
my  ruin  ?  " 

"  Would  you  prefer  my  hatred  ?  " 

"  Your  apparent  hatred,  sire.  It  will  save  me.  As  soon  as 
they  think  I  am  in  disgrace  they  will  be  less  anxious  for  my 
death." 

"  Henriot,"  said  Qharles,  "  I  know  neither  what  you  desire, 
nor  what  object  you  seek ;  but  if  your  wishes  do  not  succeed, 
and  if  your  object  is  not  accomplished,  I  shall  be  greatly  sur- 
prised." 

"  I  may,  then,  count  on  the  severity  of  the  King  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  In  that  case  I  shall  be  less  uneasy.  Now  what  are  your 
Majesty's  commands  ?  " 

"  Return  to  your  apartments,  Henriot,  I  am  in  pain.  I  will 
see  my  dogs  and  then  go  to  bed." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  your  Majesty  ought  to  send  for  a 
physician.  Your  trouble  is  perhaps  more  serious  than  you 
imagine." 

"  I  have  sent  for  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare,  Henriot." 

"  Then  I  shall  retire  more  satisfied." 


A  CTfiON.  473 

"  Upon  ray  soul,"  said  the  King,  "  I  believe  that  of  all  my 
family  you  are  the  only  one  who  really  loves  me." 

"  Is  this  indeed  your  opinion,  sire  ?  " 

"  On  the  word  of  a  gentleman." 

"  Then  commend  me  to  Monsieur  de  Nancey  as  a  man  your 
deep  anger  may  not  allow  to  live  a  month.  By  this  means  you 
will  have  me  many  years  to  love  you." 

"  Monsieur  de  Nancey  ! "  cried  Charles. 

The  captain  of  the  guards  entered. 

"  I  commit  into  your  hands  the  most  guilty  man  of  my 
kingdom.  You  will  answer  for  him  with  your  life." 

Henry  assumed  an  air  of  consternation,  and  followed  Mon- 
sieur de  Nancey. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

ACTION. 

CHARLES,  left  alone,  wondered  greatly  at  not  having  seen 
either  of  his  favorites,  his  nurse  Madeleine*  or  his  greyhound 
Acteon. 

"  Nurse  must  have  gone  to  chant  psalms  with  some  Hugue- 
not of  her  acquaintance,"  said  he  to  himself ;  "  and  Acteon  is 
probably  still  angry  with  me  for  the  whipping  I  gave  him  this 
morning." 

Charles  took  a  candle  and  went  into  his  nurse's  room.  The 
good  woman  was  not  there.  From  her  chamber  a  door  opened 
into  the  armory,  it  may  be  remembered.  The  King  started 
towards  this  door,  but  as  he  did  so  he  was  seized  with  one  of 
those  spasms  he  had  already  felt,  and  which  seemed  to  attack 
him  suddenly.  He  felt  as  if  his  entrails  were  being  run 
through  with  a  red-hot  iron,  and  an  unquenchable  thirst  con- 
sumed him.  Seeing  a  cup  of  milk  on  the  table,  he  swallowed 
it  at  a  gulp,  and  felt  somewhat  relieved. 

Taking  the  candle  he  had  set  down,  he  entered  the   armory. 

To  his  great  astonishment  Acte'on  did  not  come  to  meet  him. 
Had  he  been  shut  up  ?  If  so,  he  would  have  known  that  his 
master  had  returned  from  hunting,  and  would  have  barked. 

Charles  called  and  whistled,  but  no  animal  appeared.  He 
advanced  a  few  steps,  and  as  the  light  from  the  candle  fell 


474  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

upon  a  corner  of  the  room,  he  perceived  an  inert  something 
lying  there  on  the  floor. 

"  Why !  hello,  Acteon !  "  cried  Charles.  He  whistled 
again,  but  the  dog  did  not  stir.  Charles  hastened  forward  and 
touched  him ;  the  poor  beast  was  stiff  and  cold.  From  his 
throat,  contracted  by  pain,  several  drops  of  gall  had  fallen, 
mixed  with  foamy  and  bloody  saliva.  The  dog  had  found  an 
old  cap  of  his  master's  in  the  armory,  and  had  died  with  his 
head  resting  on  this  object,  which  represented  a  friend. 

At  the  sight,  which  made  him  forget  his  own  pain  and  re- 
stored all  his  energy,  rage  boiled  in  Charles's  veins.  He  would 
have  cried  out ;  but,  restrained  as  they  are  in  their  greatness, 
kings  are  not  free  to  yield  to  that  first  impulse  which  every 
man  turns  to  the  profit  of  his  passion  or  to  his  defence.  Charles 
reflected  that  there  had  been  some  treason,  and  was  silent. 

Then  he  knelt  down  before  his  dog  and  with  experienced 
eye  examined  the  body.  The  eyes  were  glassy,  the  tongue  red 
and  covered  with  pustules.  It  was  a  strange  disease,  and  one 
which  made  Charles  shudder.  The  King  put  on  his  gloves, 
which  he  had  taken  off  and  slipped  into  his  belt,  opened  the 
livid  lips  of  the  dog  to  examine  his  teeth,  and  perceived  in 
the  interstices  some  white-looking  fragments  clinging  to  the 
sharp  points  of  the  molars.  He  took  out  these  pieces,  and 
saw  that  they  were  paper.  Near  where  the  paper  had  been 
the  swelling  was  greater,  the  gums  were  swollen,  and  the  skin 
looked  as  if  it  had  been  eaten  by  vitriol. 

Charles  gazed  carefully  around  him.  On  the  carpet  lay  two 
or  three  bits  of  the  paper  similar  to  that  which  he  had 
already  recognized  in  the  dog's  mouth.  One  of  the  pieces, 
larger  than  the  others,  showed  the  marks  of  a  woodcut. 
Charles's  hair  stood  on  end,  for  he  recognized  a  fragment  of 
the  picture  which  represented  a  gentleman  hawking,  and 
which  Acteon  had  torn  from  the  treatise  on  hunting. 

"  Ah ! "  said  he,  turning  pale ;  "  the  book  was  poisoned ! " 

Then,  suddenly  remembering : 

"  A  thousand  devils  ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  touched  every  page 
with  my  finger,  and  at  every  page  I  raised  my  finger  to  my 
lips.  These  fainting-spells,  these  attacks  of  pain  and  vom- 
iting !  I  am  a  dead  man  ! " 

For  an  instant  Charles  remained  motionless  under  the 
weight  of  this  terrible  thought.  Then,  rising  with  a  dull 
groan,  he  hastened  to  the  door  of  the  armory. 


ACTION.  475 

"  Maitre  Re'ne' ! "  he  cried,  " I  want  Maitre  Re'ne',  the 
Florentine ;  send  some  one  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  Pont 
Saint  Michel  and  bring  him  to  me  !  He  must  be  here  within 
ten  minutes.  Let  some  one  mount  a  horse  and  lead  another 
that  he  may  come  more  quickly.  If  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare 
arrives  have  him  wait." 

A  guard  went  instantly  to  carry  out  the  King's  commands. 

"  Oh  ! "  murmured  Charles,  "  if  I  have  to  put  everybody  to 
the  torture,  I  will  know  who  gave  this  book  to  Henriot  ; "  and 
with  perspiration  on  his  brow,  clenched  hands,  and  heaving 
breast,  he  stood  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  body  of  his  dead  dog. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  Florentine  knocked  timidly  and  not 
without  some  anxiety  at  the  door  of  the  King's  apartments. 
There  are  some  consciences  to  which  the  sky  is  never  clear. 

"  Enter ! "  said  Charles. 

The  perfumer  appeared.  Charles  went  towards  him  with 
imperious  air  and  compressed  lip. 

"  Your  Majesty  sent  for  me,"  said  Rene,  trembling. 

"  You  are  a  skilful  chemist,  are  you  not  ?  " 

«  Sire  "  — 

"  And  you  know  all  that  the  cleverest  doctors  know  ?  " 

"  Your  Majesty  exaggerates." 

"  No  ;  my  mother  has  told  me  so.  Besides,  I  have  confidence 
in  you,  and  I  prefer  to  consult  you  rather  than  any  one  else. 
See,"  he  continued,  pointing  to  the  dog,  "look  at  what  this 
animal  has  between  his  teeth,  I  beg  you,  and  tell  me  of  what 
he  died." 

While  Rene,  candle  in  hand,  bent  over  the  floor  as  much  to 
hide  his  emotion  as  to  obey  the  King,  Charles  stood  up,  his 
eyes  fixed  on  the  man,  waiting  with  an  impatience  easy  to 
understand  for  the  reply  which  was  to  be  his  sentence  of  death 
or  his  assurance  of  safety. 

Re'ne  drew  a  kind  of  scalpel  from  his  pocket,  opened  it,  and 
with  the  point  detached  from  the  mouth  of  the  greyhound 
the  particles  of  paper  which  adhered  to  the  gums;  then  he 
looked  long  and  attentively  at  the  humor  and  the  blood  which 
oozed  from  each  wound. 

"  Sire,"  said  he,  trembling,  "  the  symptoms  are  very  bad." 

Charles  felt  an  icy  shudder  run  through  his  veins  to  his 
very  heart. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  the  dog  has  been  poisoned,  has  he  not  ?  " 

"  I  fear  so,  sire." 


476  MARGUERITE   DE    VALOIS. 

"  With  what  sort  of  poison  ?  " 

"  With  mineral  poison,  I  think." 

"  Can  you  ascertain  positively  that  he  has  been  poisoned  ?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly,  by  opening  and  examining  the  stomach." 

"  Open  it.     I  wish  there  to  be  no  doubt." 

"  I  must  call  some  one  to  assist  me." 

"  I  will  help  you,"  said  Charles. 

"  You,  sire  !  " 

"  Yes.  If  he  has  been  poisoned,  what  symptoms  shall  we 
find  ?  " 

"  Red  blotches  and  herborizations  in  the  stomach." 

"Come,  then,"  said  Charles,  "begin." 

With  a  stroke  of  the  scalpel  Rene  opened  the  hound's  body 
and  with  his  two  hands  removed  the  stomach,  while  Charles, 
one  knee  on  the  floor,  held  the  light  with  clenched  and  tremb- 
ling hand. 

"  See,  sire,"  said  Rene ;  "  here  are  evident  marks.  These 
are  the  red  spots  I  spoke  of ;  as  to  these  bloody  veins,  which 
seem  like  the  roots  of  a  plant,  they  are  what  I  meant  by  her- 
borizations. I  find  here  everything  I  looked  for." 

"  So  the  dog  was  poisoned  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  With  mineral  poison  ?  " 

"  In  all  probability." 

"  And  what  symptoms  would  a  man  have  who  had  inadver- 
tently swallowed  some  of  the  same  poison  ?  " 

"  Great  pain  in  the  head,  internal  burning  as  if  he  had 
swallowed  hot  coals,  pains  in  the  bowels,  and  vomiting." 

"  Would  he  be  thirsty  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  Intensely  thirsty." 

"  That  is  it !  that  is  it !  "  murmured  the  King. 

"  Sire,  I  seek  in  vain  for  the  motive  for  all  these  questions." 

"  Of  what  use  to  seek  it  ?  You  need  not  know  it.  Answer 
my  questions,  that  is  all." 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  What  is  the  antidote  to  give  a  man  who  may  have  swal- 
lowed the  same  substance  as  my  dog  ?  " 

Rene  reflected  an  instant. 

"  There  are  several  mineral  poisons,"  said  he  ;  "  and  before 
answering  I  should  like  to  know  what  you  mean.  Has  your 
Majesty  any  idea  of  the  way  in  which  your  dog  was 
poisoned  ?  " 


ACTION.  477 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles ;  "  he  chewed  the  leaf  of  a  book." 

«  The  leaf  of  a  book  ?  " 

«<  Yes." 

"  Has  your  Majesty  this  book  ?  " 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  Charles,  and,  taking  the  volume  from  the 
shelf  where  he  had  placed  it,  he  handed  it  to  Rene. 

The  latter  gave  a  start  of  surprise  which  did  not  escape  the 
King. 

"  He  ate  a  leaf  of  this  book  ?  "  stammered  Rene. 

"  Yes,  this  one,"  and  Charles  pointed  to  the  torn  page. 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  tear  out  another,  sire  ?  " 

«  Do  so." 

Rene  tore  out  a  leaf  and  held  it  over  the  candle.  The  paper 
caught  fire,  filling  the  room  with  a  strong  smell  of  garlic. 

"  He  has  been  poisoned  with  a  preparation  of  arsenic,"  said  he. 

"  You  are  sure  ?  " 

"  As  sure  as  if  I  had  prepared  it  myself." 

"  And  the  antidote  ?  " 

Rene  shook  his  head. 

"  What !  "  said  Charles  in  a  hoarse  voice,  "  you  know  no 
remedy  ?  " 

"  The  best  and  most  efficacious  is  the  white  of  eggs  beaten 
in  milk  ;  but "  — 

«  But  what  ?  " 

"  It  must  be  administered  at  once  ;  otherwise  "  — 

«  Otherwise  ?  " 

"  Sire,  it  is  a  terrible  poison."  said  Rene,  again. 

"  Yet  it  does  not  kill  immediately,"  said  Charles. 

"  No,  but  it  kills  surely,  no  matter  how  long  the  time, 
though  even  this  may  sometimes  be  calculated." 

Charles  leaned  against  the  marble  table. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  putting  his  hand  on  Rene's  shoulder,  "  you 
know  this  book  ?  " 

"  I,  sire  ?  "  said  Rene,  turning  pale. 

"  Yes,  you  ;  on  seeing  it  you  betrayed  yourself." 

"  Sire,  I  swear  to  you  "  — 

"  Rene,"  said  Charles,  "  listen  to  me.  You  poisoned  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  with  gloves ;  you  poisoned  the  Prince  of 
Porcion  with  the  smoke  from  a  lamp ;  you  tried  to  poison  Mon- 
sieur de  Conde  with  a  scented  apple.  Rene,  I  will  have  your 
skin  removed  with  red-hot  pincers,  bit  by  bit,  if  you  do  not  tell 
me  to  whom  this  book  belongs." 


478  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

The  Florentine  saw  that  he  could  not  dally  with  the  anger  of 
Charles  IX.,  and  resolved  to  be  bold. 

"  If  I  tell  the  truth,  sire,  who  will  guarantee  that  I  shall 
not  be  more  cruelly  punished  than  if  I  keep  silent  ?  " 

«  I  will." 

"  Will  you  give  me  your  royal  word  ?  " 

"  On  my  honor  as  a  gentleman  your  life  shall  be  spared," 
said  the  King. 

"  The  book  belongs  to  me,  then,"  said  Rene. 

"  To  you  !  "  cried  Charles,  starting  back  and  looking  at  the 
poisoner  with  haggard  eyes. 

«  Yes,  to  me." 

"  How  did  it  leave  your  possession  ?  " 

"  Her  majesty  the  queen  mother  took  it  from  my  house." 

"  The  queen  mother  !  "  exclaimed  Charles. 

«  Yes." 

«  With  what  object  ?  " 

"  With  the  intention,  I  think,  of  having  it  sent  to  the  King 
of  Navarre,  who  had  asked  the  Due  d'Alenqon  for  a  book  of 
the  kind  in  order  to  study  the  art  of  hawking." 

"  Ah !  "  cried  Charles,  «  that  is  it.  I  see  it  all.  The  book 
indeed  was  in  Henriot's  room.  There  is  a  destiny  about  this 
and  I  submit  to  it." 

At  that  moment  Charles  was  seized  with  a  violent  fit  of 
coughing,  followed  by  fresh  pain  in  the  bowels.  He  gave  two 
or  three  stifled  cries,  and  fell  back  in  his  chair. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  sire  ?  "  asked  Rene  in  a  frightened 
voice. 

"  Nothing,"  said  Charles,  "  except  that  I  am  thirsty.  Give 
me  something  to  drink." 

Rene  filled  a  glass  with  water  and  with  trembling  hand  gave 
it  to  Charles,  who  swallowed  it  at  a  draught. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  taking  a  pen  and  dipping  it  into  the  ink, 
"  write  in  this  book." 

"  What  must  I  write  ?  " 

"  What  I  am  going  to  dictate  to  you  : 

"  '  This  book  on  hawking  was  given  by  me  to  the  queen 
mother,  Catharine  de  Medicis.' " 

Rene  took  the  pen  and  wrote. 

"  Now  sign  your  name." 

The  Florentine  obeyed. 

"  You  promised  to  save  my  life." 


THE    FOREST    OF    VINCENNES..  479 

"I  will  keep  my  promise." 

"  But,"  said  Rene,  "  the  queen  mother  ?  " 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Charles,  "  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  her ;  if 
you  are  attacked  defend  yourself." 

"  Sire,  may  I  leave  France,  where  I  feel  that  my  life  is  in 
danger  ?  " 

"  I  will  reply  to  that  in  a  fortnight." 

"  But,  in  the  meantime  "  — 

Charles  frowned  and  placed  his  finger  on  his  livid  lips. 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid  of  me,  sire." 

And  happy  to  have  escaped  so  easily  the  Florentine  bowed 
and  withdrew. 

Behind  him  the  nurse  appeared  at  the  door  of  her  room. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  my  Chariot  ?  "  said  she. 

"Nurse,  I  have  been  walking  in  the  dew,  and  have  taken 
cold." 

"  You  are  very  pale,  Chariot." 

"  It  is  because  I  am  so  weak.  Give  me  your  arm,  nurse,  as 
far  as  my  bed." 

The  nurse  hastily  came  forward. 

Charles  leaned  on  her  and  reached  his  room. 

"  Now,"  said  Charles,  "  I  will  put  myself  to  bed." 

"  If  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  comes  ?  " 

"Tell  him  that  I  am  better  and  that  I  do  not  need  him." 

"  But,  meanwhile,  what  will  you  take  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  a  very  simple  medicine,"  said  Charles,  "  the  whites 
of  eggs  beaten  in  milk.  By  the  way,  nurse,"  he  continued,  "  my 
poor  Acteon  is  dead.  To-morrow  morning  he  must  be  buried 
in  a  corner  of  the  garden  of  the  Louvre.  He  was  one  of  my 
best  friends.  I  will  have  a  tomb  made  for  him  —  if  I  have 
time." 


CHAPTER   LIV. 


THE    FOREST    OF    VINCENNES. 


ACCORDING  to  the  order  given  by  Charles  IX.,  Henry  was 
conducted  that  same  evening  to  Vincennes.  Such  was  the 
name  given  at  that  time  to  the  famous  castle  of  which  to-day 
only  a  fragment  remains,  colossal  enough,  however,  to  give  an 
idea  of  its  past  grandeur. , 


480  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

The  trip  was  made  in  a  litter,  on  either  side  of  which 
walked  four  guards. 

Monsieur  de  Nancey,  bearing  the  order  which  was  to  open 
to  Henry  the  door  of  the  protecting  abode,  walked  first. 

At  the  postern  of  the  prison  they  stopped.  Monsieur  de 
Nancey  dismounted  from  his  horse,  opened  the  gate,  which 
was  closed  with  a  padlock,  and  respectfully  asked  the  king  to 
follow. 

Henry  obeyed  without  uttering  a  word.  Any  dwelling 
seemed  to  him  safer  than  the  Louvre,  and  ten  doors  closed  on 
him  were  at  the  same  time  ten  doors  shut  between  him  and 
Catharine  de  Medicis. 

The  royal  prisoner  crossed  the  drawbridge  between  two 
soldiers,  passed  through  the  three  doors  on  the  ground  floor 
and  the  three  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase ;  then,  still  preceded 
by  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  he  ascended  one  flight.  Arrived  there, 
the  captain  of  the  guards,  seeing  that  the  king  was  about  to 
mount  another  flight,  said  to  him  : 

"  My  lord,  you  are  to  stop  here. " 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Henry,  pausing,  "  it  seems  that  I  am  given 
the  honors  of  the  first  floor." 

"  Sire,"  replied  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  "  you  are  treated  like 
a  crowned  head." 

"  The  devil !  the  devil ! "  said  Henry  to  himself,  "  two  or 
three  floors  more  would  in  no  way  have  humiliated  me.  I 
shall  be  too  comfortable  here  ;  I  suspect  something." 

"  Will  your  majesty  follow  me  ?  "  asked  Monsieur  de  Nancey. 

"  Ventre  saint  gris  !  "  said  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  you  know 
very  well,  monsieur,  that  it  is  not  a  question  of  what  I  will 
or  will  not  do,  biit  of  what  my  brother  Charles  orders.  Did  he 
command  that  I  should  follow  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  Then  I  will  do  so,  monsieur." 

They  reached  a  sort  of  corridor  at  the  end  of  which  they 
came  to  a  good-sized  room,  with  dark  and  gloomy  looking 
walls.  Henry  gazed  around  him  with  a  glance  not  wholly  free 
from  anxiety. 

"  Where  are  we  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  In  the  chamber  of  torture,  my  lord." 

"  Ah  !  "  replied  the  king,  looking  at  it  more  closely. 

There  was  something  of  everything  in  this  chamber  —  pitch- 
ers and  wooden  horses  for  the  torture  by  water ;  wedges  and 


THE    FOREST    OF    VINCENNES.  481 

mallets  for  the  torture  of  the  boot ;  besides  stone  benches  nearly 
all  around  the  room  for  the  wretches  who  awaited  the  torture. 
Above  these  benches,  at  the  seats  themselves,  and  at  their  feet, 
were  iron  rings  fastened  into  the  walls,  without  other  symme- 
try than  that  of  the  torturing  art.  But  their  proximity  to  the 
seats  sufficiently  indicated  that  they  were  there  in  order  to 
await  the  limbs  of  those  Avho  were  to  occupy  them. 

Henry  walked  on  without  a  word,  but  not  a  single  detail  of 
all  the  hideous  apparatus  which,  so  to  speak,  had  stamped  the 
history  of  suffering  on  the  walls  escaped  him. 

The  king  was  so  taken  up  with  the  objects  about  him  that 
he  forgot  to  look  where  he  was  going,  and  came  to  a  sudden 
standstill. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  he,  "  what  is  that  ?  " 

And  he  pointed  to  a  kind  of  ditch  dug  in  the  damp  pave- 
ment which  formed  the  floor. 

"  That  is  the  gutter,  sire." 

"  Does  it  rain  here,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire,  blood." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Henry,  "  very  good.  Shall  we  not  soon  reach 
my  apartment  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  here  it  is,"  said  a  figure  in  the  dark,  which, 
as  it  drew  nearer,  became  clearer  and  more  distinguishable. 

Henry  thought  he  recognized  the  voice,  and  advanced 
towards  the  figure. 

"  So  it  is  you,  Beaulieu,"  said  he.  "  What  the  devil  are 
you  doing  here  ?  " 

"  Sire,  I  have  just  received  my  appointment  as  governor  of 
the  fortress  of  Vincennes." 

"  Well,  my  dear  friend,  your  initiation  does  you  honor.  A 
king  for  a  prisoner  is  not  bad." 

"  Pardon  me,  sire,"  said  Beaulieu,  "  but  I  have  already  had 
two  gentlemen." 

"  Who  are  they  ?  But,  pardon  me,  perhaps  I  am  indiscreet. 
If  so,  assume  that  I  have  said  nothing." 

"  My  lord,  I  have  not  been  ordered  to  keep  it  secret.  They 
are  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  and  Monsieur  de  Coconnas." 

"  Ah  !  that  is  true.  I  saw  them  arrested.  Poor  gentlemen, 
and  how  do  they  bear  this  misfortune  ?  " 

"  Differently.  One  is  gay,  the  other  sad ;  one  sings,  the 
other  groans." 

"  Which  one  groans  ?  " 


482  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  sire." 

"  Faith,"  said  Henry,  "  I  can  understand  more  easily  the  one 
who  groans  than  the  one  who  sings.  After  what  I  have  seen 
the  prison  is  not  a  very  lively  place.  On  what  floor  are  they  ?  " 

"  High  up  ;  on  the  fourth." 

Henry  heaved  a  sigh.     It  was  there  that  he  wished  to  be. 

"  Come,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,"  said  he,  "  be  good  enough 
to  show  me  my  room.  I  am  in  haste  to  see  it,  as  I  am  greatly 
fatigued  from  the  journey  we  have  just  made." 

"  This  is  it,  my  lord,"  said  Beaulieu,  pointing  to  an  open  door. 

"  Number  two,"  said  Henry ;  "  why  not  number  one  ?  " 

"  Because  that  is  reserved,  my  lord." 

"  Ah !  it  seems,  then,  that  you  expect  a  prisoner  of  higher 
rank  than  I." 

"  I  did  not  say,  my  lord,  that  it  was  a  prisoner." 

«  Who  is  it,  then  ?  " 

"  I  beg  my  lord  not  to  insist,  for  by  refusing  to  answer  I 
should  fail  in  the  obedience  due  him." 

"  Ah  !  that  is  another  thing,"  said  Henry. 

And  he  became  more  pensive  than  before.  Number  one  per- 
plexed him,  apparently.  The  governor  was  assiduous  in  his 
attentions.  With  a  thousand  apologies  he  installed  Henry  in 
his  apartment,  made  every  excuse  for  the  comforts  he  might 
lack,  stationed  two  soldiers  at  the  door,  and  withdrew. 

"  Now,"  said  the  governor,  addressing  the  turnkey,  "  let  us 
go  to  the  others." 

The  turnkey  walked  ahead.  They  took  the  same  road  by 
which  they  had  come,  passed  through  the  chamber  of  torture, 
crossed  the  corridor,  and  reached  the  stairway.  Then,  still 
following  his  guide,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu  ascended  three 
flights.  On  reaching  the  fourth  floor  the  turnkey  opened  suc- 
cessively three  doors,  each  ornamented  with  two  locks  and 
three  enormous  bolts.  He  had  scarcely  touched  the  third 
door  before  they  heard  a  joyous  voice  exclaiming : 

"  By  Heaven !  open ;  if  only  to  give  us  some  air.  Your 
stove  is  so  warm  that  I  am  stifled  here." 

And  Coconnas,  whom  the  reader  has  no  doubt  already  recog- 
nized from  his  favorite  exclamation,  bounded  from  where  he 
stood  to  the  door. 

"  One  instant,  my  gentleman,"  said  the  turnkey,  "  I  have  not 
come  to  let  you  out,  but  to  let  myself  in,  and  the  governor  is 
with  me." 


THE    FOREST    OF    VINCENNES.  483 

"  The  governor  !  "  said  Coconnas,  "  what  does  he  want  ?  " 

"  To  pay  you  a  visit." 

"  He  does  me  great  honor,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  and  he  is 
welcome." 

Monsieur  de  Beaulieu  entered  and  at  once  dispelled  the 
cordial  smile  of  Coconnas  by  one  of  those  icy  looks  which 
belong  to  governors  of  fortresses,  to  jailers,  and  to  hang- 
men. 

"  Have  you  any  money,  monsieur  ? "  he  asked  of  the  pris- 
oner. 

"  I  ?  "  said  Coconnas ;  "  not  a  crown." 

«  Jewels  ?  " 

"  I  have  a  ring." 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  search  you  ?  " 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  cried  Coconnas,  reddening  with  anger,  "  you 
take  much  on  yourself,  being  in  prison,  and  having  me  there 
also." 

"  We  must  suffer  everything  for  the  service  of  the  King." 

"  So,"  said  the  Piedmontese,  "  those  good  fellows  who  rob 
on  the  Pont  Neuf  are  like  you,  then,  in  the  service  of  the 
King.  By  Heavens !  I  was  very  unjust,  monsieur,  for  until 
now  I  have  taken  them  for  thieves." 

"  Good  evening,  monsieur,"  said  Beaulieu.  "  Jailer,  lock 
the  door." 

The  governor  went  away,  taking  with  him  the  ring,  which 
was  a  beautiful  sapphire,  given  him  by  Madame  de  Nevers  to 
remind  him  of  the  color  of  her  eyes. 

"Now  for  the  other,"  he  said  as  he  went  out. 

They  crossed  an  empty  chamber,  and  the  game  of  three 
doors,  six  locks,  and  nine  bolts  began  anew. 

The  last  door  open,  a  sigh  was  the  first  sound  that  greeted 
the  visitors. 

The  apartment  was  more  gloomy  looking  than  the  one 
Monsieur  de  Beaulieu  had  just  left.  Four  long  narrow  win- 
dows admitted  a  feeble  light  into  this  mournful  abode.  Before 
these,  iron  bars  were  crossed  in  such  a  way  that  the  eye  of 
the  prisoner  was  arrested  by  a  dark  line  and  prevented  from 
catching  even  a  glimpse  of  the  sky.  From  each  corner  of  the 
room  pointed  arches  met  in  the  middle  of  the  ceiling,  where 
they  spread  out  in  Gothic  fashion. 

La  Mole  was  seated  in  a  corner,  and,  in  spite  of  the  entrance 
of  the  visitors,  appeared  to  have  heard  nothing. 


484  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

The  governor  paused  on  the  threshold  and  looked  for  an 
instant  at  the  prisoner,  who  sat  motionless,  his  head  in  his 
hands. ' 

"  Good  evening,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  Beaulieu. 

The  young  man  slowly  raised  his  head. 

"  Good  evening,  monsieur,"  said  he. 

"  Monsieur,"  continued  the  governor,  "  I  have  come  to 
search  you." 

"  That  is  useless,"  said  La  Mole.  "  I  will  give  you  all  I 
have." 

"  What  have  you  ?  " 

"  About  three  hundred  crowns,  these  jewels,  and  rings." 

"  Give  them  to  me,  monsieur,"  said  the  governor. 

"  Here  they  are." 

La  Mole  turned  out  his  pockets,  took  the  rings  from  his  fin- 
ger, and  the  clasp  from  his  hat. 

"  Have  you  nothing  more  ?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of." 

"  And  that  silk  cord  around  your  neck,  what  may  that  be  ?  " 
asked  the  governor. 

"Monsieur,  that  is  not  a  jewel,  but  a  relic." 

"  Give  it  to  me." 

"  What !  you  demand  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  ordered  to  leave  you  only  your  clothes,  and  a  relic  is 
not  an  article  of  clothing." 

La  Mole  made  a  gesture  of  anger,  which,  in  the  midst  of  the 
dignified  and  pained  calm  which  distinguished  him,  seemed 
to  impress  the  men  accustomed  to  stormy  emotions. 

But  he  immediately  recovered  his  self-possession. 

"  Very  well,  monsieur,"  said  he,  "  you  shall  see  what  you 
ask  for." 

Then,  turning  as  if  to  approach  the  light,  he  unfastened  the 
pretended  relic,  which  was  none  other  than  a  medallion  con- 
taining a  portrait,  which  he  drew  out  and  raised  to  his  lips. 
Having  kissed  it  several  times,  he  suddenly  pretended  to  drop 
it  as  by  accident,  and  placing  the  heel  of  his  boot  on  it  he 
crushed  it  into  a  thousand  pieces. 

"  Monsieur  !  "  said  the  governor. 

And  he  stooped  down  to  see  if  he  could  not  save  the 
unknown  object  which  La  Mole  wished  to  hide  from  him ;  but 
the  miniature  was  literally  ground  to  powder. 

"  The  King  wished  for  this  jewel,"  said  La  Mole,  "  but  he 


THE    FOREST    OF    VINCENNES.  485 

had  no  right  to  the  portrait  it  contained.     Now,  here  is  the 
medallion ;  you  may  take  it." 

"  Monsieur,"  said  Beaulieu,  "  I  shall  complain  of  you  to  the 
King." 

And  without  taking  leave  of  his  prisoner  by  a  single  word 
he  went  out,  so  angry  that  without  waiting  to  preside  over  the 
task,  he  left  to  the  turnkey  the  care  of  closing  the  doors. 

The  jailer  turned  to  leave,  but  seeing  that  Monsieur  de 
Beaulieu  had  already  started  down  the  stairs : 

"  Faith  !  monsieur,"  said  he,  turning  back,  "  I  did  well  to 
ask  you  to  give  me  the  hundred  crowns  at  once  for  which  I 
am  to  allow  you  to  speak  to  your  companion  ;  for  had  you  not 
done  so  the  governor  would  have  taken  them  from  you  with 
the  three  hundred  others,  and  my  conscience  would  not  have 
allowed  me  to  do  anything  for  you;  but  as  T  was  paid  in 
advance,  I  promised  that  you  should  see  your  friend.  So 
come.  An  honest  man  keeps  his  word.  Only,  if  it  is  possible, 
for  your  sake  as  much  as  for  mine,  do  not  talk  politics." 

La  Mole  left  his  apartment  and  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  Coconnas,  who  was  walking  up  and  down  the  flags  of  the 
intermediate  room. 

The  two  friends  rushed  into  each  other's  arms. 

The  jailer  pretended  to  wipe  the  corner  of  his  eye,  and  then 
withdrew  to  watch  that  the  prisoners  were  not  surprised,  or 
rather  that  he  himself  was  not  caught. 

"  Ah  !  here  you  are  ! "  said  Coconnas.  "  Well,  has  that 
dreadful  governor  paid  his  visit  to  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  as  he  did  to  you,  I  presume  ?  " 

"  Did  he  remove  everything  ?  " 

"  And  from  you,  too  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  I  had  not  much ;  only  a  ring  from  Henriette,  that 
was  all." 

"  And  money  ?  " 

"  I  gave  all  I  had  to  the  good  jailer,  so  that  he  would 
arrange  this  interview  for  us." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  La  Mole,  "  it  seems  that  he  had  something 
from  both  of  us." 

"  Did  you  pay  him  too  ?  " 

"  I  gave  him  a  hundred  crowns." 

"  So  much  the  better." 

"  One  can  do  everything  with  money,  and  I  trust  that  we 
shall  not  lack  for  it." 


486  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOTS. 

"  Do  you  know  what  has  happened  to  us  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  ;  we  have  been  betrayed." 

"  By  that  scoundrelly  Due  d'Alenqon.  I  should  have  been 
right  to  twist  his  neck." 

"  Do  you  think  our  position  serious  ?  " 

"  I  fear  so." 

"  Then  there  is  likelihood  of  the  torture  ?  " 

"  I  will  not  hide  from  you  the  fact  that  I  have  already 
thought  of  it." 

"  What  should  you  do  in  that  case  ?  " 

"  And  you  ?  " 

"  I  should  be  silent,"  replied  La  Mole,  with  a  feverish  flush. 

"  Silent  ?  "  cried  Coconnas. 

"  Yes,  if  I  had  the  strength." 

"  Well,"  said  Coconnas,  "  if  they  insult  me  in  any  such  way 
I  promise  you  I  will  tell  them  a  few  things." 

"  What  things  ?  "  asked  La  Mole,  quickly. 

"  Oh,  be  easy  —  things  which  will  prevent  Monsieur 
d'Alenc/jn  from  sleeping  for  some  time." 

La  Mole  was  about  to  reply  when  the  jailer,  who  no  doubt 
had  heard  some  noise,  appeared,  and  pushing  each  prisoner 
into  his  respective  cell,  locked  the  doors  again. 


CHAPTER   LV. 

THE    FIGURE    OF    WAX. 

FOR  a  week  Charles  was  confined  to  his  bed  by  a  slow  fever, 
interrupted  by  violent  attacks  which  resembled  epileptic  fits. 
During  these  attacks  he  uttered  shrieks  which  the  guards, 
watching  in  his  chamber,  heard  with  terror,  and  the  echoes  of 
which  reached  to  the  farthest  corner  of  the  old  Louvre,  aroused 
so  often  by  many  a  dreadful  sound.  Then,  when  these  attacks 
passed,  Charles,  completely  exhausted,  sank  back  with  closed 
eyes  into  the  arms  of  his  nurse. 

To  say  that,  each  in  his  way,  without  communicating  the 
feeling  to  the  other,  for  mother  and  son  sought  to  avoid 
rather  than  to  see  each  other,  to  say  that  Catharine  de  Medicis 
and  the  Due  d'Alenqon  revolved  sinister  thoughts  in  the  depths 


THE    FIGURE    OF    WAX.  487 

of  their  hearts  would  be  to  say  that  in  that  nest  of  vipers 
moved  a  hideous  swarm. 

Henry  was  shut  up  in  his  chamber  in  the  prison ;  and  at  his 
own  request  no  one  had  been  allowed  to  see  him,  not  even 
Marguerite.  In  the  eyes  of  every  one  his  imprisonment  was 
an  open  disgrace.  Catharine  and  D'Alenqon,  thinking  him 
lost,  breathed  once  more,  and  Henry  ate  and  drank  more 
calmly,  hoping  that  he  was  forgotten. 

At  court  no  one  suspected  the  cause  of  the  King's  illness. 
Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  and  Mazille,  his  colleague,  thought  it 
was  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  and  had  prescribed  a  regimen 
which  aided  the  special  drink  given  by  Rene.  Charles  received 
this,  his  only  nourishment,  three  times  a  day  from  the  hands 
of  his  nurse. 

La  Mole  and  Coconnas  were  at  Vincennes  in  closest  con- 
finement. Marguerite  and  Madame  de  Nevers  had  made  a 
dozen  attempts  to  reach  them,  or  at  least  to  send  them  a  note, 
but  without  success.  One  morning  Charles  felt  somewhat 
better,  and  wished  the  court  to  assemble.  This  was  the  usual 
custom  in  the  morning,  although  for  some  time  no  levee  had 
taken  place.  The  doors  were  accordingly  thrown  open,  and  it 
was  easy  to  see,  from  his  pale  cheeks,  yellow  forehead,  and 
the  feverish  light  in  his  deep-sunken  eyes,  which  were  sur- 
rounded by  dark  circles,  what  frightful  ravages  the  unknown 
disease  had  made  on  the  young  monarch. 

The  royal  chamber  was  soon  filled  with  curious  and  inter- 
ested courtiers.  Catharine,  D'Alenqon,  and  Marguerite  had 
been  informed  that  the  King  was  to  hold  an  audience.  There- 
fore all  three  entered,  at  short  intervals,  one  by  one ;  Catharine 
calm,  D'Alenqon  smiling,  Marguerite  dejected.  Catharine 
seated  herself  by  the  side  of  the  bed  without  noticing  the  look 
that  Charles  gave  her  as  he  saw  her  approach. 

Monsieur  d'Alenc/m  stood  at  the  foot. 

Marguerite  leaned  against  a  table,  and  seeing  the  pale  brow, 
the  worn  features,  and  deep-sunken  eyes  of  her  brother,  could 
not  repress  a  sigh  and  a  tear. 

Charles,  whom  nothing  escaped,  saw  the  tear  and  heard  the 
sigh,  and  with  his  head  made  a  slight  motion  to  Marguerite. 

This  sign,  slight  as  it  was,  lighted  the  face  of  the  poor 
Queen  of  Navarre,  to  whom  Henry  had  not  had  time  or  per- 
haps had  not  wished  to  say  anything. 

She  feared  for  her  husband,  she   trembled  for  her  lover. 


488  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

For  herself  she  had  no  fear ;  she  knew  La  Mole  well,  and  felt 
she  could  rely  on  him. 

"  Well,  my  dear  son,"  said  Catharine,  "  how  do  you  feel  ?  " 

"Better,  mother,  better." 

"  What  do  your  physicians  say  ?  " 

"  My  physicians  ?  They  are  clever  doctors,  mother,"  said 
Charles,  bursting  into  a  laugh.  "  I  take  great  pleasure,  I  admit, 
in  hearing  them  discuss  my  malady.  Nurse,  give  me  some- 
thing to  drink." 

The  nurse  brought  Charles  a    cup  of  his  usual  beverage. 

"  What  do  they  order  you  to  take,  my  son  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  madame,  who  knows  anything  about  their  prepara- 
tions ?  "  said  the  King,  hastily  swallowing  the  drink. 

"  What  my  brother  needs,"  said  Francois,  "  is  to  rise  and  get 
out  into  the  open  air ;  hunting,  of  which  he  is  so  fond,  would 
do  him  a  great  deal  of  good." 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  with  a  smile,  the  meaning  of  which  it 
was  impossible  for  the  duke  to  understand,  "  and  yet  the  last 
hunt  did  me  great  harm." 

Charles  uttered  these  words  in  such  a  strange  way  that  the 
conversation,  in  which  the  others  present  had  not  taken  part, 
stopped.  Then  the  King  gave  a  slight  nod  of  his  head.  The 
courtiers  understood  that  the  audience  was  over,  and  with- 
drew one  after  another. 

D'Alenqon  started  to  approach  his  brother,  but  some  secret 
feeling  stopped  him.  He  bowed  and  went  out. 

Marguerite  seized  the  wasted  hand  her  brother  held  out  to 
her,  pressed  it,  and  kissed  it.  Then  she,  in  turn,  withdrew. 

"  Dear  Margot !  "  murmured  Charles. 

Catharine  alone  remained,  keeping  her  place  at  the  side  of 
the  bed.  Finding  himself  alone  with  her,  Charles  recoiled  as 
if  from  a  serpent. 

Instructed  by  the  words  of  Rene,  perhaps  still  better  by 
silence  and  meditation,  Charles  no  longer  had  even  the  happi- 
ness of  doubt. 

He  knew  perfectly  to  whom  and  to  what  to  attribute  his 
approaching  death. 

So,  when  Catharine  drew  near  to  the  bed  and  extended  to 
him  a  hand  as  cold  as  his  glance,  the  King  shuddered  in  fear. 

"  Yoxi  have  remained,  madame  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,  rny  son,"  replied  Catharine,  "  I  must  speak  to  you  on 
important  matters." 


THE    FIGURE    OF    WAX.  489 

"  Speak,  madame,"  said  Charles,  again  recoiling. 

"Sire!"  said  the  queen,  "you  said  just  now  that  your 
physicians  were  great  doctors  ! " 

"  And  I  say  so  again,  madame." 

"  Yet  what  have  they  done  during  your  illness  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  it  is  true  —  but  if  you  had  heard  what  they  said 
—  really,  madame,  one  might  afford  to  be  ill  if  only  to  listen 
to  their  learned  discussions." 

"  Well,  my  son,  do  you  want  me  to  tell  you  something  ?  " 

"  What  is  it,  mother  ?  " 

"  I  suspect  that  all  these  clever  doctors  know  nothing  what- 
ever about  your  malady." 

"  Indeed,  madame  ! " 

"  They  may,  perhaps,  see  a  result,  but  they  are  ignorant  of 
the  cause." 

"  That  is  possible,"  said  Charles,  not  understanding  what  his 
mother  was  aiming  at. 

"  So  that  they  treat  the  symptoms  and  not  the  ill  itself." 

"  On  my  soul ! "  said  Charles,  astonished,  "  I  believe  you  are 
right,  mother." 

"  Well,  my  son,"  said  Catharine,  "  as  it  is  good  neither  for 
my  happiness  nor  the  welfare  of  the  kingdom  for  you  to  be  ill 
so  long,  and  as  your  mind  might  end  by  becoming  affected,  I 
assembled  the  most  skilful  doctors." 

"  In  the  science  of  medicine,  madame  ?  " 

"  No,  in  a  more  profound  science  :  that  which  helps  not  only 
the  body  but  the  mind  as  well." 

"  Ah !  a  beautiful  science,  madame,"  said  Charles,  "  and  one 
which  the  doctors  are  right  in  not  teaching  to  crowned  heads ! 
Have  your  researches  had  any  result  ?  "  he  continued. 

«  Yes." 

«  What  was  it  ?  " 

"That  which  I  hoped  for;  I  bring  to  your  Majesty  that 
which  will  cure  not  only  your  body  but  your  mind." 

Charles  shuddered.  He  thought  that  finding  that  he  was 
still  living  his  mother  had  resolved  to  finish  knowingly  that 
which  she  had  begun  unconsciously. 

"  Where  is  this  remedy  ?  "  said  he,  rising  on  his  elbow  and 
looking  at  his  mother. 

"  In  the  disease  itself,"  replied  Catharine. 

"  Then  where  is  that  ?  " 

"  Listen  to  me,  my  son,"  said  Catharine  ;  "  have  you  not 


490  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

sometimes  heard  it  said  that  there  are  secret  enemies  who  in 
their  revenge  assassinate  their  victim  from  a  distance  ?  " 

"  By  steel  or  poison  ?  "  asked  Charles,  without  once  turning 
his  eyes  from  the  impassible  face  of  his  mother. 

"No,  by  a  surer  and  much  more  terrible  means,"  said 
Catharine. 

"  Explain  yourself." 

"  My  son,"  asked  the  Florentine,  "  do  you  believe  in  charms 
and  magic  ?  " 

Charles  repressed  a  smile  of  scorn  and  incredulity. 

"  Fully,"  said  he. 

"  Well,"  said  Catharine,  quickly,  "  from  magic  comes  all  your 
suffering.  An  enemy  of  your  Majesty  who  would  not  have 
dared  to  attack  you  openly  has  conspired  in  secret.  He  has 
directed  against  your  Majesty  a  conspiracy  much  more  terrible 
in  that  he  has  no  accomplices,  and  the  mysterious  threads  of 
which  cannot  be  traced." 

"  Faith,  no  !  "  said  Charles,  aghast  at  such  cunning. 

"  Think  well,  my  son,"  said  Catharine,  "  and  recall  to  mind 
certain  plans  for  flight  which  would  have  assured  impunity  to 
the  murderer." 

"  To  the  murderer !  "  cried  Charles.  "  To  the  murderer,  you 
say  ?  Has  there  been  an  attempt  to  kill  me,  mother  ?  " 

Catharine's  changing  eye  rolled  hypocritically  under  its 
wrinkled  lid. 

"  Yes,  my  son ;  you  doubt  it,  perhaps,  but  I  know  it  for  a 
certainty." 

"  I  never  doubt  what  you  tell  me,  mother,"  replied  the  King, 
bitterly.  "  How  was  the  attempt  made  ?  I  am  anxious  to 
know." 

"  By  magic." 

"  Explain  yourself,  madame,"  said  Charles,  recalled  by  his 
loathing  to  his  role  of  observer. 

"  If  the  conspirator  I  mean,  and  one  whom  at  heart  your 
Majesty  already  suspects,  had  succeeded  in  his  plans,  no  one 
would  have  fathomed  the  cause  of  your  Majesty's  sufferings. 
Fortunately,  however,  sire,  your  brother  watched  over  you." 

«  Which  brother  ?  " 

"  D'Alenqon." 

"  Ah !  yes,  that  is  true ;  I  always  forget  that  I  have  a 
brother,"  murmured  Charles,  laughing  bitterly ;  "  so  you  say, 
madame " — 


THE    FIGURE    OF.    WAX.  491 

"  That  fortunately  he  revealed  the  conspiracy.  But  while 
he,  inexperienced  child  that  he  is,  sought  only  the  traces  of 
an  ordinary  plot,  the  proofs  of  a  young  man's  escapade,  I 
sought  for  proofs  of  a  much  more  important  deed;  for  I 
understand  the  reach  of  the  guilty  one's  mind." 

"  Ah !  mother,  one  would  say  you  were  speaking  of  the 
King  of  Navarre,"  said  Charles,  anxious  to  see  how  far  this 
Florentine  dissimulation  would  go. 

Catharine  hypocritically  dropped  her  eyes. 

"I  have  had  him  arrested  and  taken  to  Vincennes  for  his 
escapade,"  continued  the  King ;  "  is  he  more  guilty  than  I  sus- 
pected, then  ?  " 

"  Do  you  feel  the  fever  that  consumes  you  ?  "  asked  Catha- 
rine. 

"  Yes,  certainly,  madame,"  said  Charles,  frowning. 

"  Do  you  feel  the  fire  that  burns  you  internally  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,"  replied  Charles,  his  brow  darkening  more 
and  more. 

"  And  the  sharp  pains  in  your  head,  which  shoot  from  your 
eyes  to  your  brain  like  so  many  arrows  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame.  I  feel  all  that.  You  describe  my  trouble 
perfectly  ! " 

"  Well !  the  explanation  is  very  simple,"  said  the  Floren- 
tine. "  See." 

And  she  drew  from  under  her  cloak  an  object  which  she 
gave  to  the  King. 

It  was  a  figure  of  yellow  wax,  about  six  inches  high,  clothed 
in  a  robe  covered  with  golden  stars  also  of  wax,  like  the 
figure  ;  and  over  this  a  royal  mantle  of  the  same  material. 

«  Well,"  asked  Charles,  "  what  is  this  little  statue  ?  " 

"  See  what  it  has  on  its  head,"  said  Catharine. 

"  A  crown,"  replied  Charles. 

"  And  in  the  heart  ?  " 

«  A  needle." 

"  Well,  sire,  do  you  recognize  yourself  ?  " 

«  Myself  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you,  with  your  crown  and  mantle  ?  " 

"  Who  made  this  figure  ?  "  asked  Charles,  whom  this  farce 
was  beginning  to  weary  ;  "  the  King  of  Navarre,  no  doubt  ?  " 

"  No,  sire." 

"  No  ?  then  I  do  not  understand  you." 

"  I  say  no"    replied   Catharine,    "  because   you   asked  the 


492  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

question  literally.  I  should  have  said  yes  had  you  put  it  dif- 
ferently." 

Charles  made  no  answer.  He  was  striving  to  penetrate  all 
the  thoughts  of  that  shadowy  mind,  which  constantly  closed 
before  him  just  as  he  thought  himself  ready  to  read  it. 

"  Sire,"  continued  Catharine,  "  this  statue  was  found  by  the 
Attorney-General  Laguesle,  in  the  apartment  of  the  man  who 
on  the  day  you  last  went  hawking  led  a  horse  for  the  King 
of  Navarre." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and,  if  you  please,  look  again  at  the  needle  in  the 
heart,  and  see  what  letter  is  written  on  the  label  attached  to  it." 

"  I  see  an  <  M,'  "  said  Charles. 

"  That  means  mort,  death ;  it  is  the  magic  formula,  sire.  The 
maker  thus  wrote  his  vow  on  the  very  wound  he  gave.  Had 
he  wished  to  make  a  pretence  at  killing,  as  did  the  Due  de 
Bretagne  for  King  Charles  VI.,  he  would  have  driven  the 
needle  into  the  head  and  put  an  {  F '  instead  of  an  ( M.' " 

"  So,"  said  Charles  IX.,  "  according  to  your  idea,  the  person 
who  seeks  to  end  my  clays  is  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  is  the  dagger  ;  but  behind  the  dagger  is  the  hand 
that  directs  it." 

"  This  then  is  the  sole  cause  of  my  illness  ?  the  day  the 
charm  is  destroyed  the  malady  will  cease  ?  But  how  go  to 
work  ? "  asked  Charles,  "  you  must  know,  mother ;  but  I, 
unlike  you,  who  have  spent  your  whole  life  studying  them, 
know  nothing  about  charms  and  spells." 

"  The  death  of  the  conspirator  destroys  the  charm,  that  is 
all.  The  day  the  charm  is  destroyed  your  illness  will  cease," 
said  Catharine. 

"  Indeed  !  "  said  Charles,  with  an  air  of  surprise. 

"  Did  you  not  know  that  ?  " 

"  Why !  I  am  no  sorcerer,"  said  the  King. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  Catharine,  "your  Majesty  is  convinced, 
are  you  not  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  Conviction  has  dispelled  anxiety  ?  " 

"  Completely." 

"  You  do  not  say  so  out  of  complaisance  ?  " 

"  No,  mother !  I  say  it  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart." 

Catharine's  face  broke  into  smiles. 

"  Thank  God !  "  she  exclaimed,  as  if  she  believed  in  God. 


THE    FIGURE    OF    WAX.  493 

"  Yes,  thank  God  ! ''  repeated  Charles,  ironically ;  "  I  know 
now,  as  you  do,  to  whom  to  attribute  my  present  condition, 
and  consequently  whom  to  punish." 

"  And  you  will  punish  " — 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole ;  did  you  not  say  that  he  was  the 
guilty  party  ?  " 

"  I  said  that  he  was  the  instrument." 

"  Well,"  said  Charles,  "  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  first ;  he  is  the 
most  important.  All  these  attacks  on  me  might  arouse  dan- 
gerous suspicions.  It  is  imperative  that  there  be  some  light 
thrown  on  the  matter  and  from  this  light  the  truth  may  be 
discovered." 

"  So  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  " — 

"  Suits  me  admirably  as  the  guilty  one  ;  therefore  I  accept 
him.  We  will  begin  with  him ;  and  if  he  has  an  accomplice, 
he  shall  speak." 

"  Yes,"  murmured  Catharine,  "  and  if  he  does  not,  we  will 
make  him.  We  have  infallible  means  for  that." 

Then  rising : 

"  Will  you  permit  the  trial  to  begin,  sire  ?  " 

"  I  desire  it,  madame,"  replied  Charles,  "  and  the  sooner  the 
better." 

Catharine  pressed  the  hand  of  her  son  without  comprehend- 
ing the  nervous  grasp  with  which  he  returned  it,  and  left  the 
apartment  without  hearing  the  sardonic  laugh  of  the  King,  or 
the  terrible  oath  which  followed  the  laugh. 

Charles  wondered  if  it  were  not  dangerous  to  let  this  woman 
go  thus,  for  in  a  few  hours  she  would  have  done  so  much  that 
there  would  be  no  way  of  stopping  it. 

As  he  watched  the  curtain  fall  after  Catharine,  he  heard  a 
light  rustle  behind  him,  and  turning  he  perceived  Marguerite, 
who  raised  the  drapery  before  the  corridor  leading  to  his 
nurse's  rooms. 

Marguerite's  pallor,  her  haggard  eyes  and  oppressed  breath- 
ing betrayed  the  most  violent  emotion. 

"  Oh,  sire  !  sire  !  "  she  exclaimed,  rushing  to  her  brother's 
bedside;  "you  know  that  she  lies." 

"  She  ?  Who  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  Listen,  Charles,  it  is  a  terrible  thing  to  accuse  one's 
mother ;  but  I  suspected  that  she  remained  with  you  to  perse- 
cute them  again.  But,  on  my  life,  on  yours,  on  our  souls,  I 
tell  you  what  she  says  is  false  !  " 


494  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

11  To  persecute  them  !     Whom  is  she  persecuting?" 

Both  had  instinctively  lowered  their  voices  ;  it  seemed  as  if 
they  themselves  feared  even  to  hear  them. 

"  Henry,  in  the  first  place ;  your  Henriot,  who  loves  you, 
who  is  more  devoted  to  you  than  any  one  else." 

"  You  think  so,  Margot  ?  "  said  Charles. 

"  Oh !  sire,  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  Well,  so  am  I,"  said  Charles. 

"  Then  if  you  are  sure  of  it,  brother,"  said  Marguerite,  sur- 
prised, "  why  did  you  have  him  arrested  and  taken  to 
Vincennes  ?  " 

"  Because  he  asked  me  to  do  so." 

"  He  asked  you,  sire  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Henriot  has  singular  ideas.  Perhaps  he  is  wrong, 
perhaps  right ;  at  any  rate,  one  of  his  ideas  was  that  he  would 
be  safer  in  disgrace  than  in  favor,  away  from  me  at  Vincennes 
instead  of  near  me  in  the  Louvre." 

"  Ah  !  I  see,"  said  Marguerite,  "  and  is  he  safe  there  ?  " 

"  As  safe  as  a  man  can  be  whose  head  Beaulieu  answers  for 
with  his  own." 

"  Oh  !  thank  you,  brother  !  so  much  for  Henry.     But  "  — 

«  But  what  ?  " 

"  There  is  another,  sire,  in  whom  perhaps  I  am  wrong  to  be 
interested,  but "  — 

«  Who  is  it  ?  " 

"  Sire,  spare  me.  I  would  scarcely  dare  name  him  to  my 
brother,  much  less  to  my  King." 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  is  it  not  ?  "  said  Charles. 

"  Alas  ! "  said  Marguerite,  "  you  tried  to  kill  him  once,  sire, 
and  he  escaped  from  your  royal  vengeance  only  by  a  miracle." 

"  He  was  guilty  of  only  one  crime  then,  Marguerite ;  now  he 
has  committed  two." 

"  Sire,  he  is  not  guilty  of  the  second." 

"  But,"  said  Charles,  "  did  you  not  hear  what  our  good 
mother  said,  my  poor  Margot  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  have  already  told  you,  Charles,"  said  Marguerite, 
lowering  her  voice,  "  that  what  she  said  was  false." 

"  You  do  not  know  perhaps  that  a  waxen  figure  has  been 
found  in  Monsieur  de  la  Mole's  rooms  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  brother,  I  know  it." 

"  That  this  figure  is  pierced  to  the  heart  by  a  needle,  and 
that  it  bears  a  tag  with  an  '  M '  on  it  ?  " 


THE    FIGURE    OF    WAX.  495 

"  I  know  that,  too." 

"  And  that  over  the  shoulders  of  the  figure  is  a  royal  mantle, 
and  that  on  its  head  is  a  royal  crown  ?  " 

"  I  know  all  that." 

"  Well !  what  have  you  to  say  to  it  ?  " 

"  This  :  that  the  figure  with  a  royal  cloak  and  a  crown  on  its 
head  is  that  of  a  woman,  and  not  that  of  a  man." 

"  Bah !  "  said  Charles,  "  and  the  needle  in  its  heart  ?  " 

"  Was  a  charm  to  make  himself  beloved  by  this  woman,  and 
pot  a  charm  to  kill  a  man." 

"But  the  letter  <M'  ?" 

"  It  does  not  mean  mart)  as  the  queen  mother  said." 

"  What  does  it  mean,  then  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  It  means  —  it  means  the  name  of  the  woman  whom  Mon- 
sieur de  la  Mole  loves." 

"  And  what  is  the  name  of  this  woman  ? " 

"  Marguerite,  brother  !  "  cried  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  fall- 
ing on  her  knees  before  the  King's  bed,  taking  his  hand  between 
both  of  hers,  and  pressing  her  face  to  it,  bathed  in  tears. 

"  Hush,  sister !  "  said  Charles,  casting  a  sharp  glance  about 
him  beneath  his  frowning  brow.  "  For  just  as  you  overheard 
a  moment  ago,  we  may  now  be  overheard  again." 

"  What  does  it  matter  ?  "  exclaimed  Mai'guerite,  raising  her 
head,  "  if  the  whole  world  were  present  to  hear  me,  I  would 
declare  before  it  that  it  is  infamous  to  abuse  the  love  of 
a  gentleman  by  staining  his  reputation  with  a  suspicion  of 
murder." 

"  Margot,  suppose  I  were  to  tell  you  that  I  know  as  well  as 
you  do  who  it  is  and  who  it  is  not  ?  " 

"  Brother ! " 

"  Suppose  I  were  to  tell  you  that  Monsieur  de  la  Mole  is 
innocent  ?  " 

"  You  know  this  ?  " 

"  If  I  were  to  tell  you  that  I  know  the  real  author  of  the 
crime  ?  " 

"  The  real  author ! "  cried  Marguerite ;  "  has  there  been  a 
crime  committed,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  intentionally  or  unintentionally  there  has  been  a 
crime  committed." 

"  On  you  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Impossible  ! " 


496  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Impossible  ?     Look  at  me,  Margot." 

The  young  woman  looked  at  her  brother  and  trembled,  see- 
ing him  so  pale. 

"  Margot,  I  have  not  three  months  to  live  !  "  said  Charles. 

"  You,  brother !  you,  Charles !  "  she  cried. 

"  Margot,  I  am  poisoned." 

Marguerite  screamed. 

"  Hush,"  said  Charles.  "  It  must  be  thought  that  I  am 
dying  by  magic." 

"  Do  you  know  who  is  guilty  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  You  said  it  was  not  La  Mole  ?  " 

"  No,  it  is  not  he." 

"  Nor  Henry  either,  surely  —  great  God  !  could  it  be  " — 

"  Who  ?  " 

"  My  brother  —  D' Alenqon  ?  "    murmured  Marguerite. 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Or  —  or  " —  Marguerite  lowered  her  voice  as  if  frightened 
at  what  she  was  going  to  say,  "  or  —  our  mother  ?  " 

Charles  was  silent. 

Marguerite  looked  at  him,  and  read  all  that  she  asked  in 
his  eyes.  Then  still  on  her  knees  she  half  fell  over  against  a 
chair. 

"  Oh !  my  God  !  my  God  ! "  she  whispered,  "  that  is  im- 
possible." 

"  Impossible  ?  "  said  Charles,  with  a  strident  laugh,  "  it  is  a 
pity  Rene  is  not  here  to  tell  you  the  story." 

"  Rene  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  he  would  tell  you  that  a  woman  to  whom  he  dares 
refuse  nothing  asked  him  for  a  book  on  hunting  which  was 
in  his  library  ;  that  a  subtle  poison  was  poured  on  every  page 
of  this  book ;  that  the  poison  intended  for  some  one,  I  know 
not  for  whom,  fell  by  a  turn  of  chance,  or  by  a  punishment 
of  Heaven,  on  another.  But  in  the  absence  of  Rene  if  you 
wish  to  see  the  book  it  is  there  in  my  closet,  and  written  in 
the  Florentine's  handwriting  you  will  see  that  this  volume, 
which  still  contains  the  death  of  many  among  its  pages,  was 
given  by  him  to  his  fellow  countrywoman." 

"  Hush,  Charles,  hush  ! "  said  Marguerite. 

"  Now  you  see  that  it  must  be  supposed  that  I  die  of  magic." 

"  But  it  is  monstrous,  monstrous  !  Pity  !  Pity !  you  know 
he  is  innocent." 


THE    INVISIBLE   BUCKLERS.  497 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,  but  he  must  be  thought  guilty.  Let  your 
lover  die ;  it  is  very  little  to  do  in  order  to  save  the  honor  of  the 
house  of  France ;  I  myself  shall  die  that  the  secret  may  die 
with  me." 

Marguerite  bent  her  head,  realizing  that  nothing  could  be 
obtained  from  the  King  towards  saving  La  Mole,  and  with- 
drew weeping,  having  no  hope  except  in  her  own  resources. 

Meantime  Catharine,  as  Charles  had  divined,  had  lost  not  a 
minute,  but  had  written  to  the  Attorney-General  Laguesle  a 
letter,  every  word  of  which  has  been  preserved  by  history  and 
which  throws  a  lurid  light  upon  the  drama  : 

"  Monsieur  le  Procureur :  I  have  this  evening  been  informed 
beyond  a  doubt  that  La  Mole  has  committed  sacrilege.  Many 
evil  things  such  as  books  and  papers  have  been  found  in  his 
apartments  in  Paris.  I  beg  you  to  summon  the  chief  presi- 
dent, and  to  inform  him  as  early  as  possible  of  the  affair  of 
the  waxen  figure  meant  for  the  King,  and  which  was  pierced 
to  the  heart. 

"  CATHARIlfS."  1 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

THE    INVISIBLE    BUCKLERS. 

THE  day  after  that  on  which  Catharine  had  written  this  let- 
ter the  governor  entered  Coconnas's  cell  with  an  imposing 
retinue  consisting  of  two  halberdiers  and  four  men  in  black 
gowns. 

Coconnas  was  asked  to  descend  to  a  room  in  which  the 
Attorney  Laguesle  and  two  judges  waited  to  question  him 
according  to  Catharine's  instructions. 

During  the  week  he  had  spent  in  prison  Coconnas  had 
reflected  a  great  deal.  Besides  that,  he  and  La  Mole  were 
together  for  a  few  minutes  each  day,  through  the  kindness  of 
their  jailer,  who,  without  saying  anything  to  them,  had 
arranged  this  surprise,  which  in  all  probability  they  did  not  owe 
to  his  philosophy  alone,  —  besides,  we  say,  La  Mole  and  he  had 
agreed  on  the  course  they  were  to  pursue,  which  was  to  persist  in 
absolute  denial ;  and  they  were  persuaded  that  with  a  little 
skill  the  affair  would  take  a  more  favorable  turn  ;  the  charges 

1  Textual. 


498  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

were  no  greater  against  them  than  against  the  others.  Henry 
and  Marguerite  had  made  no  attempt  at  flight ;  they  could  not 
therefore  be  compromised  in  an  affair  in  which  the  chief  ring- 
leaders were  free.  Coconnas  did  not  know  that  Henry  was  in 
the  prison,  and  the  complaisance  of  the  jailer  told  him  that 
above  his  head  hovered  a  certain  protection  which  he  called 
the  invisible  bucklers. 

Up  to  then  the  examination  had  been  confined  to  the  inten- 
tions of  the  King  of  Navarre,  his  plans  of  flight,  and  the  part 
the  two  friends  had  played  in  them.  To  all  these  questions 
Coconnas  had  constantly  replied  in  a  way  more  than  vague 
and  much  more  than  adroit ;  he  was  ready  still  to  reply  in  the 
same  way,  and  had  prepared  in  advance  all  his  little  repartees, 
when  he  suddenly  found  the  object  of  the  examination  was 
altered.  It  turned  upon  one  or  more  visits  to  Rene,  one  or 
more  waxen  figures  made  at  the  instigation  of  La  Mole. 

Prepared  as  he  was,  Coconnas  believed  that  the  accusation 
lost  much  of  its  intensity,  since  it  was  no  longer  a  question  of 
having  betrayed  a  king  but  of  having  made  a  figure  of  a  queen ; 
and  this  figure  not  more  than  ten  inches  high  at  the  most. 
He,  therefore,  replied  brightly  that  neither  he  nor  his  friend 
had  played  with  a  doll  for  some  time,  and  noticed  with  pleasure 
that  several  times  his  answers  made  the  judges  smile. 

It  had  not  yet  been  said  in  verse :  "  I  have  laughed,  there- 
fore am  I  disarmed,"  but  it  had  been  said  a  great  deal  in 
prose.  And  Coconnas  thought  that  he  had  partly  disarmed 
his  judges  because  they  had  smiled. 

His  examination  over,  he  went  back  to  his  cell,  singing  so 
merrily  that  La  Mole,  for  whom  he  was  making  all  the  noise, 
drew  from  it  the  happiest  auguries. 

La  Mole  was  brought  down,  and  like  Coconnas  saw  with 
astonishment  that  the  accusation  had  abandoned  its  first 
ground  and  had  entered  a  new  field.  He  was  questioned  as 
to  his  visits  to  Rene.  He  replied  that  he  had  gone  to  the 
Florentine  only  once.  Then,  if  he  had  not  ordered  a  waxen 
figure.  He  replied  that  Rene  had  showed  him  such  a  figure 
ready  made.  He  was  then  asked  if  this  figure  did  not  repre- 
sent a  man.  He  replied  that  it  represented  a  woman.  Then, 
if  the  object  of  the  charm  was  not  to  cause  the  death  of  the 
man.  He  replied  that  the  purpose  of  the  charm  was  to  cause 
himself  to  be  beloved  by  the  woman. 

These  questions  were  put  in  a  hundred  different  forms,  but 


THE    INVISIBLE    BUCKLERS.  499 

La  Mole  always  replied  in  the  same  way.  The  judges  looked 
at  one  another  with  a  certain  indecision,  not  knowing  what  to 
say  or  do  before  such  simplicity,  when  a  note  brought  to  the 
Attorney-General  solved  the  difficulty. 

"  If  the  accused  denies  resort  to  the  torture. 

"  C." 

The  attorney  put  the  note  into  his  pocket,  smiled  at  La 
Mole,  and  politely  dismissed  him. 

La  Mole  returned  to  his  cell  almost  as  reassured,  if  not  as 
joyous,  as  Coconnas. 

"  I  think  everything  is  going  well,"  said  he. 

An  hour  later  he  heard  footsteps  and  saw  a  note  slipped 
under  his  door,  without  seeing  the  hand  that  did  it.  He  took 
it  up,  thinking  that  in  all  probability  it  came  from  the  jailer  ? 

Seeing  it,  a  hope  almost  as  acute  as  a  disappointment  sprang 
into  his  heart ;  he  hoped  it  was  from  Marguerite,  from  whom 
he  had  had  no  news  since  he  had  been  a  prisoner. 

He  took  it  up  with  trembling  hand,  and  almost  died  of  joy 
as  he  looked  at  the  handwriting. 

"  Courage  !  "  said  the  note.     "  /  am  watching  over  you." 

"  Ah !  if  she  is  watching,"  cried  La  Mole,  covering  with 
kisses  the  paper  which  had  touched  a  hand  so  dear,  "  if  she  is 
watching,  I  am  saved." 

In  order  for  La  Mole  to  comprehend  the  note  and  rely  with 
Coconnas  on  what  the  Piedmontese  called  his  invisible  bucklers 
it  is  necessary  for  us  to  conduct  the  reader  to  that  small  house, 
to  that  chamber  in  which  the  reminders  of  so  many  scenes  of 
intoxicating  happiness,  so  many  half-evaporated  perfumes,  so 
many  tender  recollections,  since  become  agonizing,  were  break- 
ing the  heart  of  a  woman  half  reclining  on  velvet  cushions. 

"  To  be  a  queen,  to  be  strong,  young,  rich,  beautiful,  and 
suffer  what  I  suffer ! "  cried  this  woman  ;  "  oh  !  it  is  impos- 
sible !  " 

Then  in  her  agitation  she  rose,  paced  up  and  down,  stopped 
suddenly,  pressed  her  burning  forehead  against  the  ice-cold 
marble,  rose  pale,  her  face  covered  with  tears,  wrung  her  hands, 
and  crying  aloud  fell  back  again  hopeless  into  a  chair. 

Suddenly  the  tapestry  which  separated  the  apartment  of  the 
Rue  Cloche  Percee  from  that  in  the  Rue  Tizon  was  raised,  and 
the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  entered. 

"  Ah !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  "  is  it  you  ?  With  what  im- 
patience I  have  waited  for  you  !  Well !  What  news  ?  " 


500  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Bad  news,  my  poor  friend.  Catharine  herself  is  hurrying 
on  the  trial,  and  at  present  is  at  Vincennes." 

"  And  Keiie  ?  " 

"  Is  arrested." 

"  Before  you  were  able  to  speak  to  him  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  And  our  prisoners  ?  " 

"  I  have  news  of  them." 

"From  the  jailer?" 

«  Yes." 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  Well !  They  see  each  other  every  day.  The  day  before 
yesterday  they  were  searched.  La  Mole  broke  your  picture  to 
atoms  rather  than  give  it  up." 

«  Dear  La  Mole !  " 

"  Annibal  laughed  in  the  face  of  the  inquisitors." 

«  Worthy  Annibal !     What  then  ?  " 

"  This  morning  they  were  questioned  as  to  the  flight  of  the 
king,  his  projects  of  rebellion  in  Navarre,  and  they  said 
nothing." 

"  Oh  !  I  knew  they  would  keep  silence  ;  but  silence  will  kill 
them  as  much  as  if  they  spoke." 

1  Yes,  but  we  must  save  them." 
Have  you  thought  over  our  plan  ?  " 
;  Since  yesterday  I  have  thought  of  nothing  else." 

'  Well  ?  " 

I  have  just  come  to  terms  with  Beaulieu.  Ah !  my  dear 
queen,  what  a  hard  and  greedy  man !  It  will  cost  a  man's 
life,  and  three  hundred  thousand  crowns." 

"  You  say  he  is  hard  and  greedy  —  and  yet  he  asks  only  the 
life  of  a  man  and  three  hundred  thousand  crowns.  Why,  that 
is  nothing !  " 

"  Nothing !  Three  hundred  thousand  crowns  !  Why,  all 
your  jewels  and  all  mine  would  not  be  enough." 

"  Oh  !  that  is  nothing.  The  King  of  Navarre  will  pay  some- 
thing, the  Due  d'Alenqon  will  pay  part,  and  my  brother 
Charles  will  pay  part,  or  if  not "  — 

"  See  !  what  nonsense  you  talk.     I  have  the  money." 

«  You  ?  " 

«  Yes,  I." 

"  How  did  you  get  it  ?  " 

«  Ah !  that  is  telling  ! " 


THE    INVISIBLE    BUCKLERS.  501 

"  Is  it  a  secret  ?  " 

"  For  every  one  except  you." 

"  Oh,  my  God !  "  said  Marguerite,  smiling  through  her  tears, 
"  did  you  steal  it  ?  " 

"  You  shall  judge." 

"  Well,  let  me." 

"  Do  you  remember  that  horrible  Nantouillet  ?  " 

"  The  rich  man,  the  usurer  ?  " 

"If  you  please." 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  Well !  One  day  seeing  a  certain  blonde  lady,  with  greenish 
eyes,  pass  by,  wearing  three  rubies,  one  over  her  forehead,  the 
other  two  over  her  temples,  an  arrangement  which  was  very 
becoming  to  her,  this  rich  man,  this  usurer,  cried  out : 

"  '  For  three  kisses  in  the  place  of  those  three  rubies  I  will 
give  you  three  diamonds  worth  one  hundred  thousand  crowns 
apiece ! ' : 

"  Well,  Henriette  ?  " 

"  Well,  my  dear,  the  diamonds  appeared  and  are  sold." 

"  Oh,  Henriette  !  Henriette  ! "  cried  Marguerite. 

"  Well ! "  exclaimed  the  duchess  in  a  bold  tone  at  once  inno- 
cent and  sublime,  which  sums  up  the  age  and  the  woman, 
"  well,  I  love  Annibal !  " 

"  That  is  true,"  said  Marguerite,  smiling  and  blushing  at 
the  same  time,  "  you  love  him  a  very  great  deal,  too  much,  per- 
haps." 

And  yet  she  pressed  her  friend's  hand. 

"  So,"  continued  Henriette,  "  thanks  to  our  three  diamonds, 
the  three  hundred  thousand  crowns  and  the  man  are  ready." 

"  The  man  ?     What  man  ?  " 

"  The  man  to  be  killed ;  you  forget  a  man  must  be  killed." 

"  Have  you  found  the  necessary  man  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  At  the  same  price  ?  "  asked  Marguerite,  smiling. 

"  At  the  same  price  I  could  have  found  a  thousand,"  replied 
Henriette,  "  no,  no,  for  five  hundred  crowns." 

"  For  five  hundred  crowns  you  have  found  a  man  who  has 
consented  to  be  killed  ?  " 

"  What  can  you  expect  ?     It  is  necessary  for  us  to  live." 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  do  not  understand  you.  Come,  explain. 
Enigmas  require  too  much  time  to  guess  at  such  a  moment  as 
this." 


502  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Well,  listen ;  the  jailer  to  whom  the  keeping  of  La  Mole 
and  Cocoimas  is  entrusted  is  an  old  soldier  who  knows  what  a 
wound  is.  He  would  like  to  help  save  our  friends,  but  he 
does  not  want  to  lose  his  place.  A  blow  of  a  dagger  skilfully 
aimed  will  end  the  affair.  We  will  give  him  a  reward  and  the 
kingdom,  indemnification.  In  this  way  the  brave  man  will 
receive  money  from  both  parties  and  will  renew  the  fable  of 
the  pelican." 

"  But,"  said  Marguerite,  "  a  thrust  of  a  dagger  "  — 

"  Do  not  worry  ;  Annibal  will  give  it." 

"  Well,"  said  Marguerite,  "  he  has  given  as  many  as  three 
blows  of  his  sword  to  La  Mole,  and  La  Mole  is  not  dead ; 
there  is  therefore  every  reason  to  hope." 

"  Wicked  woman  !     You  deserve  to  have  me  stop." 

"  Oh  !  no,  no ;  on  the  contrary,  tell  me  the  rest,  I  beg  you. 
How  are  we  to  save  them ;  come  !  " 

"  Well,  this  is  the  plan.  The  chapel  is  the  only  place  in  the 
castle  where  women  can  enter  who  are  not  prisoners.  We  are 
to  be  hidden  behind  the  altar.  Under  the  altar  cloth  they  will 
find  two  daggers. .  The  door  of  the  vestry -room  will  be  opened 
beforehand.  Coconnas  will  strike  the  jailer,  who  will  fall  and 
pretend  to  be  dead  ;  we  appear  ;  each  of  us  throws  a  cloak  over 
the  shoulders  of  her  friend ;  we  run  with  them  through  the 
small  doors  of  the  vestry -room,  and  as  we  have  the  password 
we  can  leave  without  hindrance." 

"  And  once  out  ?  " 

"  Two  horses  will  be  waiting  at  the  door ;  the  men  will 
spring  on  them,  leave  France,  and  reach  Lorraine,  whence  now 
and  then  they  will  return  incognito." 

"  Oh  !  you  restore  me  to  life,"  said  Marguerite.  "  So  we 
shall  save  them  ?  " 

"  I  am  almost  sure  of  it." 

"  Soon  ?  " 

"  In  three  or  four  days.     Beaulieu  is  to  let  us  know." 

"  But  if  you  were  recognized  in  the  vicinity  of  Vincennes 
that  might  upset  our  plan." 

"  How  could  any  one  recognize  me  ?  I  go  there  as  a  nun, 
with  a  hood,  thanks  to  which  not  even  the  tip  of  my  nose  is 
visible." 

"  We  cannot  take  too  many  precautions." 

"  I  know  that  well  enough,  by  Heaven !  as  poor  Annibal 
would  say." 


THE    JUDGES.  503 

"  Did  you  hear  anything  about  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  I  was  careful  to  ask." 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  has  never  been  so  happy,  apparently  ;  he  laughs, 
sings,  eats,  drinks,  and  sleeps  well,  and  asks  only  one  thing, 
and  that  is  to  be  well  guarded." 

"  He  is  right.     And  my  mother  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  she  is  hurrying  on  the  trial  as  fast  as  she  can." 

"  Yes,  but  does  she  suspect  anything  about  us  ?  " 

"  How  could  she  ?  Every  one  who  has  a  secret  is  anxious  to 
keep  it.  Ah  !  I  know  that  she  told  the  judges  in  Paris  to  be 
in  readiness." 

"  Let  us  act  quickly,  Henriette.  If  our  poor  prisoners  change 
their  abode,  everything  will  have  to  be  done  over  again." 

"  Do  not  worry.     I  am  as  anxious  as  you  to  see  them  free." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know  that,  and  thank  you,  thank  you  a  hundred 
times  for  all  you  have  done." 

"  Adieu,  Marguerite.     I  am  going  into  the  country  again." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  Beaulieu  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"Of  the  jailer?" 

"  He  has  promised." 

"  Of  the  horses  ?  " 

"  They  will  be  the  best  in  the  stables  of  the  Due  de  Nevers." 

"I  adore  you,  Henriette." 

And  Marguerite  threw  her  arms  about  her  friend's  neck,  after 
which  the  two  women  separated,  promising  to  see  each  other 
again  the  next  day,  and  every  day,  at  the  same  place  and  hour. 

These  were  the  two  charming  and  devoted  creatures  whom 
Coconnas,  with  so  much  reason,  called  his  invisible  bucklers. 


CHAPTER   LVIL 

THE     JUDGES. 


"  WELL,  my  brave  friend,"  said  Coconnas  to  La  Mole,  when 
the  two  were  together  after  the  examination,  at  which,  for 
the  first  time,  the  subject  of  the  waxen  image  had  been 
discussed,  "  it  seems  to  me  that  everything  is  going  on  finely, 
and  that  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  judges  will  dismiss  us. 


504  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

And  this  diagnosis  is  entirely  different  from  that  of  a  dismissal 
by  physicians.  When  the  doctor  gives  up  the  patient  it  is 
because  he  cannot  cure  him,  but  when  the  judge  gives  up  the 
accused  it  is  because  he  has  no  further  hope  of  having  him 
beheaded." 

"  Yes,"  said  La  Mole ;  "  and  moreover,  it  seems  to  me,  from 
the  politeness  and  gentleness  of  the  jailer  and  the  looseness  of 
the  doors,  that  I  recognize  our  kind  friends  ;  but  I  do  not  rec- 
ognize Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  at  least  from  what  I  had  been 
told  of  him." 

"  I  recognize  him,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  only  it  will  cost 
dearly.  But  one  is  a  princess,  the  other  a  queen ;  both  are 
rich,  and  they  will  never  have  so  good  an  opportunity  to  use 
their  money.  Now  let  us  go  over  our  lesson.  We  are  to  be 
taken  to  the  chapel,  and  left  there  in  charge  of  our  turnkey  ; 
we  shall  each  find  a  dagger  in  the  spot  indicated.  I  am  to 
make  a  hole  in  the  body  of  our  guide." 

"  Yes,  but  a  slight  one  in  the  arm  ;  otherwise  you  will  rob 
him  of  his  five  hundred  crowns." 

"  Ah,  no  ;  not  in  the  arm,  for  in  that  case  he  would  have  to 
lose  it,  and  it  would  be  easy  to  see  that  it  was  given  intention- 
ally. No,  it  must  be  in  his  right  side,  gliding  skilfully  along 
his  ribs;  that  would  look  natural,  but  in  reality  would  be 
harmless." 

"  Well,  aim  for  that,  and  then  "  — 

"  Then  you  will  barricade  the  front  door  with  benches 
while  our  two  princesses  rush  from  behind  the  altar,  where 
they  are  to  be  hidden,  and  Henriette  opens  the  vestry  door. 
Ah,  faith,  how  I  love  Henriette  to-day  !  She  must  have  been 
faithless  to  me  in  some  way  for  me  to  feel  as  I  do." 

"  And  then,"  said  La  Mole,  with  the  trembling  voice  which 
falls  from  lips  like  music,  "  then  we  shall  reach  the  forest. 
A  kiss  given  to  each  of  us  will  make  us  strong  and  happy. 
Can  you  not  picture  us,  Annibal,  bending  over  our  swift 
horses,  our  hearts  gently  oppressed  ?  Oh,  what  a  good  thing 
is  fear !  Fear  in  the  open  air  when  one  has  one's  naked  sword 
at  one's  side,  when  one  cries  '  hurra '  to  the  courser  pricked 
by  the  spur,  and  which  at  each  shout  speeds  the  faster." 

"  Yes,"  said  Coconnas,  "  but  fear  within  four  walls  —  what 
do  you  say  to  that,  La  Mole  ?  I  can  speak  of  it,  for  I  have 
felt  something  of  it.  When  Beaulieu,  with  his  pale  face,  en- 
tered my  cell  for  the  first  time,  behind  him  in  the  darkness 


THE    JUDGES.  505 

shone  halberds,  and  I  heard  a  sinister  sound  of  iron  striking 
against  iron.  I  swear  to  you  I  immediately  thought  of  the  Due 
d'Alenqon,  and  I  expected  to  see  his  ugly  face  between  the 
two  hateful  heads  of  the  halberdiers.  I  was  mistaken,  however, 
and  this  was  my  sole  consolation.  But  that  was  not  all ; 
night  came,  and  I  dreamed." 

"  So,"  said  La  Mole,  who  had  been  following  his  happy 
train  of  thought  without  paying  attention  to  his  friend,  "  so 
they  have  foreseen  everything,  even  the  place  in  which  we  are 
to  hide.  We  shall  go  to  Lorraine,  dear  friend.  In  reality  I 
should  rather  have  had  it  Navarre,  for  there  I  should  have 
been  with  her,  but  Navarre  is  too  far ;  Nancey  would  be  better ; 
besides,  once  there,  we  should  be  only  eighty  leagues  from 
Paris.  Have  you  any  feeling  of  regret,  Annibal,  at  leaving 
this  place  ?  " 

"  Ah,  no  !  the  idea  !  Although  I  confess  I  am  leaving  every- 
thing that  belongs  to  me." 

"  Well,  could  we  manage  to  take  the  worthy  jailer  with  us 
instead  of  "  — 

"  He  would  not  go,"  said  Coconnas,  "  he  would  lose  too 
much.  Think  of  it !  five  hundred  crowns  from  us,  a  reward 
from  the  government ;  promotion,  perhaps ;  how  happy  will 
be  that  fellow's  life  when  I  shall  have  killed  him  !  But  what 
is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Nothing  !     An  idea  came  to  me." 

"  It  is  not  a  funny  one,  apparently,  for  you  are  frightfully 
pale." 

"  I  was  wondering  why  they  should  take  us  to  the  chapel." 

"  Why,"  said  Coconnas,  "  to  receive  the  sacrament.  This 
is  the  time  for  it,  I  think." 

"  But,"  said  La  Mole,  "  they  take  only  those  condemned  to 
death  or  the  torture  to  the  chapel." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Coconnas,  becoming  somewhat  pale  in  turn, 
"  this  deserves  our  attention.  Let  us  question  the  good  man 
whom  I  am  to  split  open.  Here,  turnkey !  " 

"  Did  monsieur  call  ?  "  asked  the  jailer,  who  had  been  keep- 
ing watch  at  the  top  of  the  stairs. 

"  Yes  ;  come  here." 

«  Well  ?  " 

"  It  has  been  arranged  that  we  are  to  escape  from  the 
chapel,  has  it  not  ?  " 

"  Hush  !  "  said  the  turnkey,  looking  round  him  in  terror. 


506  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Do  not  worry ;  no  one  can  hear  us." 

"  Yes,  monsieur  ;  it  is  from  the  chapel." 

"  They  are  to  take  us  to  the  chapel,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  that  is  the  custom." 

"  The  custom  ?  " 

"Yes;  it  is  customary  to  allow  everyone  condemned  to 
death  to  pass  the  night  in  the  chapel." 

Coconnas  and  La  Mole  shuddered  and  glanced  at  each  other. 

"  You  think  we  are  condemned  to  death,  then  ?  " 

"  Certainly.     You,  too,  must  think  so." 

"  Why  should  we  think  so  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

"  Certainly  ;  otherwise  you  would  not  have  arranged  every- 
thing for  your  escape." 

"  Do  you  know,  there  is  reason  in  what  he  says !  "  said 
Coconnas  to  La  Mole. 

"  Yes ;  and  what  I  know  besides  is  that  we  are  playing  a 
close  game,  apparently." 

"  But  do  you  think  I  am  risking  nothing  ?  "  said  the  turn- 
key. "  If  in  a  moment  of  excitement  monsieur  should  make 
a  mistake  "  — 

"  Well !  by  Heaven  !  I  wish  I  were  in  your  place,"  said 
Coconnas,  slowly,  "  and  had  to  deal  with  no  hand  but  this  ; 
with  no  sword  except  the  one  which  is  to  graze  you." 

"  Condemned  to  death  !  "  murmured  La  Mole,  "  why,  that  is 
impossible ! " 

"  Impossible  !  "  said  the  turnkey,  naively,  "  and  why  ?  " 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Coconnas,  "  I  think  some  one  is  opening  the 
lower  door." 

"  To  your  cells,  gentlemen,  to  your  cells  !  "  cried  the  jailer, 
hurriedly. 

"  When  do  you  think  the  trial  will  take  place  ?  "  asked  La 
Mole. 

"  To-morrow,  or  later.  But  be  easy ;  those  who  must  be  in- 
formed shall  be." 

"  Then  let  us  embrace  each  other  and  bid  farewell  to  these 
walls." 

The  two  friends  rushed  into  each  other's  arms  and  then 
returned  to  their  cells,  La  Mole  sighing,  Coconnas  singing. 

Nothing  new  happened  until  seven  o'clock.  Night  fell  dark 
and  rainy  over  the  prison  of  Vincennes,  a  perfect  night  for 
flight.  The  evening  meal  was  brought  to  Coconnas,  who  ate 
with  his  usual  appetite,  thinking  of  the  pleasure  he  would 


THE    JUDGES.  507 

feel  in  being  soaked  in  the  rain  which  was  pattering  against 
the  walls,  and  already  preparing  himself  to  fall  asleep  to 
the  dull,  monotonous  murmur  of  the  wind,  when  suddenly 
it  seemed  to  him  that  this  wind,  to  which  he  occasionally 
\istened  with  a  feeling  of  melancholy  never  before  experienced 
'ty  him  until  he  came  to  prison,  whistled  more  strangely  than 
usual  under  the  doors,  and  that  the  stove  roared  with  a  louder 
noise  than  common.  This  had  happened  every  time  one  of  the 
cells  above  or  opposite  him  was  opened.  It  was  by  this  noise 
that  Annibal  always  knew  the  jailer  was  coming  from  La 
Mole's  cell. 

But  this  time  it  was  in  vain  that  Coconnas  remained  with 
eye  and  ear  alert. 

The  moments  passed  ;  no  one  came. 

"  This  is  strange,"  said  Coconnas,  "  La  Mole's  door  has  been 
opened  and  not  mine.  Could  La  Mole  have  called  ?  Can  he 
be  ill  ?  What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

With  a  prisoner  everything  is  a  cause  for  suspicion  and 
anxiety,  as  everything  is  a  cause  for  joy  and  hope. 

Half  an  hour  passed,  then  an  hour,  then  an  hour  and  a  half. 

Coconnas  was  beginning  to  grow  sleepy  from  anger  when  the 
grating  of  the  lock  made  him  spring  to  his  feet. 

"  Oh  ! "  said  he,  "  has  the  time  come  for  us  to  leave  and  are  they 
going  to  take  us  to  the  chapel  without  condemning  us  ?  By 
Heaven,  what  joy  it  would  be  to  escape  on  such  a  night !  It 
is  as  dark  as  an  oven !  I  hope  the  horses  are  not  blind." 

He  was  about  to  ask  some  jocular  question  of  the  turnkey 
when  he  saw  the  latter  put  his  finger  to  his  lips  and  roll  his 
eyes  significantly.  Behind  the  jailer  Coconnas  heard  sounds 
and  perceived  shadows. 

Suddenly  in  the  midst  of  the  darkness  he  distinguished  two 
helmets,  on  which  the  smoking  candle  threw  a  yellow  light. 

11  Oh ! "  said  he  in  a  low  voice,  "  what  is  this  sinister  pro- 
cession ?  What  is  going  to  happen  ?" 

The  jailer  replied  by  a  sigh  which  greatly  resembled  a  groan. 

"  By  Heaven  !  "  murmured  Coconnas ;  "  what  a  wretched 
existence  !  always  on  the  ragged  edge  ;  never  on  firm  land ;  either 
we  paddle  in  a  hundred  feet  of  water  or  we  hover  above  the 
clouds  ;  never  a  happy  medium.  Well,  where  are  we  going  ?  " 

"  Follow  the  halberdiers,  monsieur,"  repeated  the  same 
voice. 

He  had  to  obey.     Coconnas  left  his  room,  and  perceived  the 


508  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

dark  man  whose  voice  had  been  so  disagreeable.  He  was  a 
clerk,  small  and  hunchbacked,  who  no  doubt  had  put  on  the 
gown  in  order  to  hide  his  bandy  legs,  as  well  as  his  back.  He 
slowly  descended  the  winding  stairs.  At  the  first  landing  the 
guards  paused. 

"That  is  a  good  deal  to  go  down,"  murmured  Coconnas, 
"  but  not  enough." 

The  door  opened.  The  prisoner  had  the  eye  of  a  lynx  and 
the  scent  of  a  bloodhound.  He  scented  the  judges  and  saw 
in  the  shadow  the  silhouette  of  a  man  with  bare  arms  ;  the 
latter  sight  made  the  perspiration  mount  to  his  brow.  Never- 
theless, he  assumed  his  most  smiling  manner,  and  entered  the 
room  with  his  head  tipped  to  one  side,  and  his  hand  on  his 
hip,  after  the  most  approved  manner  of  the  times. 

A  curtain  was  raised,  and  Coconnas  perceived  the  judges 
and  the  clerks.  * 

A  few  feet  away  La  Mole  was  seated  on  a  bench. 

Coconnas  was  led  to  the  front  of  the  tribunal.  Arrived 
there,  he  stopped,  nodded  and  smiled  to  La  •  Mole,  and  then 
waited. 

"  What  is  your  name,  monsieur  ?  "  inquired  the  president. 

"  Marcus  Annibal  de  Coconnas,"  replied  the  gentleman  with 
perfect  ease.  "  Count  de  Montpantier,  Chenaux,  and  other 
places ;  but  they  are  known,  I  presume." 

"  Where  were  you  born  ?  " 

"At  Saint  Colomban,  near  Suza." 

"  How  old  are  you  ?  " 

"  Twenty-seven  years  and  three  months." 

"  Good  ! "  said  the  president. 

"  This  pleases  him,  apparently,"  said  Coconnas. 

"  Now,"  said  the  president  after  a  moment's  silence  which 
gave  the  clerk  time  to  write  down  the  answers  of  the  accused ; 
"  what  was  your  reason  for  leaving  the  service  of  Monsieur 
d' Alenqon  ?  " 

"  To  rejoin  my  friend  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  who  had  already 
left  the  duke  three  days  before." 

"  What  were  you  doing  the  day  of  the  hunt,  when  you  were 
arrested  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  was  hunting." 

"  The  King  was  also  present  at  that  hunt,  and  was  there 
seized  with  the  first  attack  of  the  malady  from  which  he  is  at 
present  suffering." 


THE    JUDGES.  509 

"  I  was  not  near  the  King,  and  I  can  say  nothing  about  this. 
I  was  even  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  he  had  been  ill." 

The  judges  looked  at  one  another  with  a  smile  of  incredulity. 

"  Ah  !  you  were  ignorant  of  his  Majesty's  illness,  were  you  ?  " 
said  the  president. 

"  Yes,  monsieur,  and  I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  it.  Although  the 
King  of  France  is  not  my  king,  I  have  a  great  deal  of  sym- 
pathy for  him." 

"  Indeed  !  " 

"  On  my  honor  !  It  is  different  so  far  as  his  brother  the  Due 
d'Alenqon  is  concerned.  The  latter  I  confess  "  — 

"  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Due  d'Alen^on,  monsieur ; 
this  concerns  his  Majesty." 

"  Well,  I  have  already  told  you  that  I  am  his  very  humble 
servant,"  said  Coconnas,  turning  about  in  an  adorably  impu- 
dent fashion. 

"  If  as  you  pretend,  monsieur,  you  are  really  his  servant, 
will  you  tell  us  what  you  know  of  a  certain  waxen  figure  ?  " 

"  Ah,  good  !  we  have  come  back  to  the  figure,  have  we  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monsieur ;  does  this  displease  you  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  prefer  it;  go  ahead." 

"Why  was  this  statue  found  in  Monsieur  de  la  Mole's 
apartments  ?  " 

"  At  Monsieur  de  la  Mole's  ?     At  Rene's,  you  mean  ?  " 

"  You  acknowledge  that  it  exists,  then,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  if  you  will  show  it  to  me." 

"  Here  it  is.     Is  this  the  one  you  know  ?  " 

"  It  is." 

"Clerk,"  said  the  president,  "write  down  that  the  accused 
recognizes  the  image  as  the  one  seen  at  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole's." 

"  No,  no  !  "  said  Coconnas,  "  do  not  let  us  misunderstand 
each  other  —  as  the  one  seen  at  Rene's." 

"  At  Re'ne's  ;  very  good !     On  what  day  ?  " 

"  The  only  day  La  Mole  and  myself  were  at  Rene's." 

"  You  admit,  then,  that  you  were  at  Rene's  with  Monsieur  de 
la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Why,  did  I  ever  deny  it  ?  " 

"  Clerk,  write  down  that  the  accused  admits  having  gone  to 
Rene's  to  work  conjurations." 

"  Stop  there,  Monsieur  le  President.  Moderate  your  enthu- 
siasm, I  beg  you.  I  did  not  say  that  at  all." 


510  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  You  deny  having  been  at  Rene's  to   work  conjurations  ?  " 

"  I  deny  it.  The  magic  took  place  by  accident.  It  was 
unprem  editated. " 

«  But  it  took  place  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  deny  that  something  resembling  a  charm  did  take 
place." 

"Clerk,  write  down  that  the  accused  admits  that  he  ob- 
tained at  Rene's  a  charm  against  the  life  of  the  King." 

"  What !  against  the  King's  life  ?  That  is  an  infamous  lie  ! 
There  was  no  charm  obtained  against  the  life  of  the  King." 

"  You  see,  gentlemen !  "  said  La  Mole. 

"  Silence  !  "  said  the  president ;  then  turning  to  the  clerk  : 
"  Against  the  life  of  the  King,"  he  continued.  "  Have  you 
that?" 

"  Why,  no,  no  !  "  cried  Coconnas.  "  Besides,  the  figure  is  not 
that  of  a  man,  but  of  a  woman." 

"  What  did  I  tell  you,  gentlemen  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 

"  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  the  president,  "  answer  when 
you  are  questioned,  but  do  not  interrupt  the  examination  of 
others." 

"  So  you  say  that  it  is  a  woman  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  say  so." 

"  In  that  case,  why  did  it  have  a  crown  and  a  cloak  ?  " 

"  By  Heaven ! "  said  Coconnas,  "  that  is  simple  enough, 
because  it  was  "  — 

La  Mole  rose  and  put  his  finger  on  his  lips. 

"  That  is  so,"  said  Coconnas,  "  what  was  I  going  to  say  that 
could  possibly  concern  these  gentlemen  ?  " 

"  You  persist  in  stating  that  the  figure  is  that  of  a 
woman  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  certainly  I  persist." 

"  And  you  refuse  to  say  what  woman  ?  " 

"  A  woman  of  my  country,"  said  La  Mole,  "  whom  I  loved 
and  by  whom  I  wished  to  be  loved  in  return." 

"  We  are  not  asking  you,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,"  said  the 
president ;  "  keep  silent,  therefore,  or  you  shall  be  gagged." 

"  Gagged  ! "  exclaimed  Coconnas ;  "  what  do  you  mean,  mon- 
sieur of  the  black  robe  ?  My  friend  gagged  ?  A  gentleman  ! 
the  idea ! " 

"  Bring  in  Rene,"  said  the  Attorney-General  Laguesle. 

"  Yes ;  bring  in  Rene,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  we  shall  see  who  is 
right  here,  we  two  or  you  three." 


THE    JUDGES.  511 

Rdne*  entered,  pale,  aged,  and  almost  unrecognizable  to  the 
two  friends,  bowed  under  the  weight  of  the  crime  he  was  about 
to  commit  much  more  than  because  of  those  he  had  already 
committed. 

"  Maitre  Rene,"  said  the  judge,  "  do  you  recognize  the  two 
accused  persons  here  present  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monsieur,"  replied  Rene,  in  a  voice  which  betrayed 
his  emotion. 

"  From  having  seen  them  where  ?  " 

"  In  several  places  ;  and  especially  at  my  house." 

"  How  many  times  did  they  go  to  your  house  ?  " 

"Once  only." 

As  Rene  spoke  the  face  of  Coconnas  expanded  ;  La  Mole's, 
on  the  contrary,  looked  as  though  he  had  a  presentiment  of 
evil. 

"  For  what  purpose  were  they  at  your  house  ?  " 

Rene  seemed  to  hesitate  a  moment. 

"  To  order  me  to  make  a  waxen  figure,"  said  he. 

"  Pardon  me,  Maitre  Rene,"  said  Coconnas,  "  you  are  making 
a  slight  mistake." 

"  Silence  ! "  said  the  president ;  then  turning  to  Rene, 
"  was  this  figure  to  be  that  of  a  man  or  a  woman  ?  " 

"  A  man,"  replied  Rene. 

Coconnas  sprang  up  as  if  he  had  received  an  electric  shock. 

"  A  man  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  A  man,"  repeated  Rene,  but  in  so  low  a  tone  that  the 
president  scarcely  heard  him. 

"  Why  did  this  figure  of  a  man  have  on  a  mantle  and  a 
crown  ?  " 

"  Because  it  represented  a  king." 

"  Infamous  liar  !  "  cried  Coconnas,  infuriated. 

"  Keep  still,  Coconnas,  keep  still,"  interrupted  La  Mole, 
"  let  the  man  speak ;  every  one  has  a  right  to  sell  his  own 
soul." 

"  But  not  the  bodies  of  others,  by  Heaven  !  " 

"  And  what  was  the  meaning  of  the  needle  in  the  heart  of 
the  figure,  with  the  letter  l  M '  on  a  small  banner  ?  " 

"  The  needle  was  emblematical  of  the  sword  or  the  dagger ; 
the  letter  <  M '  stands  for  mort." 

Coconnas  sprang  forward  as  though  to  strangle  Rene",  but 
four  guards  restrained  him. 

"  That  will  do,"  said  the  Attorney  Laguesle,  "  the  court  is 


512  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

sufficiently  informed.  Take  the  prisoners  to  the  waiting- 
room." 

"  But,"  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "  it  is  impossible  to  hear  one's 
self  accused  of  such  things  without  protesting." 

"Protest,  monsieur,  no  one  will  hinder  you.  Guards,  did 
you  hear  ?  " 

The  guards  seized  the  two  prisoners  and  led  them  out,  La 
Mole  by  one  door,  Coconnas  by  another. 

Then  the  attorney  signed  to  the  man  whom  Coconnas  had 
perceived  in  the  shadow,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  Do  not  go  away,  my  good  fellow,  you  shall  have  work  this 
evening." 

"  Which  shall  I  begin  with,  monsieur  ? "  asked  the  man, 
respectfully  holding  his  cap  in  his  hand. 

"  With  that  one,"  said  the  president,  pointing  to  La  Mole, 
who  could  still  be  seen  disappearing  in  the  distance  between 
the  two  guards.  Then  approaching  Rene,  who  stood  trembling, 
expecting  to  be  led  back  to  the  cell  in  which  he  had  been 
confined : 

"  You  have  spoken  well,  monsieur,"  said  he  to  him,  "  you 
need  not  worry.  Both  the  King  and  the  queen  shall  know 
that  it  is  to  you  they  are  indebted  for  the  truth  of  this  affair." 

But  instead  of  giving  him  strength,  this  promise  seemed  to 
terrify  Rene,  whose  only  answer  was  a  deep  sigh. 


CHAPTER   LVITI. 

THE    TOBTUKE    OF    THE    BOOT. 

IT  was  only  when  he  had  been  led  away  to  his  new  cell  and 
the  door  was  locked  on  him  that  Coconnas,  left  alone,  and  no 
longer  sustained  by  the  discussion  with  the  judges  and  his 
anger  'at  Rene,  fell  into  a  train  of  mournful  reflections. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  thought  he,  "  that  matters  are  turning 
against  us,  and  that  it  is  about  time  to  go  to  the  chapel.  I  suspect 
we  are  to  be  condemned  to  death.  It  looks  so.  I  especially  fear 
being  condemned  to  death  by  sentences  pronounced  behind 
closed  doors,  in  a  fortified  castle,  before  faces  as  ugly  as  those 
about  me.  They  really  wish  to  cut  off  our  heads.  Well !  well ! 
I  repeat  what  I  said  just  now,  it  is  time  to  go  to  chapel." 


THE    TORTURE    OF    THE    BOOT.  513 

These  words,  uttered  in  a  low  tone,  were  followed  by  a 
silence,  which  in  turn  was  broken  by  a  cry,  shrill,  piercing, 
lugubrious,  unlike  anything  human.  It  seemed  to  penetrate 
the  thick  walls,  and  vibrate  against  the  iron  bars. 

In  spite  of  himself  Coconnas  shivered  ;  and  yet  he  was  so 
brave  that  his  courage  was  like  that  of  wild  beasts.  He  stood 
still,  doubting  that  the  cry  was  human,  and  taking  it  for  the 
sound  of  the  wind  in  the  trees  or  for  one  of  the  many  night 
noises  which  seem  to  rise  or  descend  from  the  two  unknown 
worlds  between  which  floats  our  globe.  Then  he  heard  it  again, 
shriller,  more  prolonged,  more  piercing  than  before,  and  this 
time  not  only  did  Cocounas  distinguish  the  agony  of  the  human 
tone  in  it,  but  he  thought  it  sounded  like  La  Mole's. 

As  he  realized  this  the  Piedmontese  forgot  that  he  was  con- 
fined behind  two  doors,  three  gates,  and  a  wall  twelve  feet 
thick.  He  hurled  his  entire  weight  against  the  sides  of  the 
cell  as  though  to  push  them  out  and  rush  to  the  aid  of  the 
victim,  crying,  "  Are  they  killing  some  one  here  ?  "  But  he  un- 
expectedly encountered  the  wall  and  the  shock  hurled  him  back 
against  a  stone  bench  on  which  he  sank  down. 

Then  there  was  silence. 

" Oh,  they  have  killed  him  ! "  he  murmured  ;  "it  is  abomi- 
nable !  And  one  is  without  arms,  here,  and  cannot  defend 
one's  self ! " 

He  groped  about. 

"  Ah !  this  iron  chain  !  "  he  cried,  "  I  will  take  it  and  woe 
to  him  who  comes  near  me  !  " 

Coconnas  rose,  seized  the  iron  chain,  and  with  a  pull  shook . 
it  so  violently  that  it  was  clear  that  with  two  such  efforts  he 
would  wrench  it  away. 

But  suddenly  the  door  opened  and  the  light  from  a  couple 
of  torches  fell  into  the  cell. 

"  Come,  monsieur,"  said  the  same  voice  which  had  sounded 
so  disagreeable  to  him,  and  which  this  time,  in  making  itself 
heard  three  floors  below,  did  not  seem  to  him  to  have  acquired 
any  new  charm. 

"  Come,  monsieur,  the  court  is  awaiting  you." 

"  Good,"  said  Coconnas,  dropping  his  ring,  "  I  am  to  hear 
my  sentence,  am  I  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monsieur." 

"  Oh !  I  breathe  again  ;  let  us  go,"  said  he. 


514  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

He  followed  the  usher,  who  preceded  him  with  measured 
tread,  holding  his  black  rod. 

In  spite  of  the  satisfaction  he  had  felt  at  first,  as  he  walked 
along  Coconnas  glanced  anxiously  about  him. 

"Oh!"  he  murmured,  " I  do  not  perceive  my  good  jailer. 
I  confess  I  miss  him." 

They  entered  the  hall  the  judges  had  just  left,  in  which 
a  man  was  standing  alone,  whom  Coconnas  recognized  as  the 
Attorney-General.  In  the  course  of  the  examination  the  latter 
had  spoken  several  times,  always  with  an  animosity  easy  to 
understand. 

He  was  the  one  whom  Catharine,  both  by  letter  and  in 
person,  had  specially  charged  with  the  trial. 

At  the  farther  end  of  this  room,  the  corners  of  which  were 
lost  in  darkness  behind  a  partly  raised  curtain,  Coconnas  saw 
such  dreadful  sights  that  he  felt  his  limbs  give  away,  and 
cried  out :  "  Oh,  my  God  !  " 

It  was  not  without  cause  that  the  cry  had  been  uttered. 
The  sight  was  indeed  terrible.  The  portion  of  the  room 
hidden  during  the  trial  by  the  curtain,  which  was  now  drawn 
back,  looked  like  the  entrance  to  hell. 

A  wooden  horse  was  there,  to  which  were  attached  ropes, 
pulleys,  and  other  accessories  of  torture.  Further  on  glowed 
a  brazier,  which  threw  its  lurid  glare  on  the  surrounding  ob- 
jects, and  which  added  to  the  terror  of  the  spectacle.  Against 
one  of  the  pillars  which  supported  the  ceiling  stood  a  man 
motionless  as  a  statue,  holding  a  rope  in  his  hand.  He 
looked  as  though  made  of  the  stone  of  the  column  against 
which  he  leaned.  To  the  walls  above  the  stone  benches,  be- 
tween iron  links,  chains  were  suspended  and  blades  glittered. 

"  Oh  !  "  murmured  Coconnas,  "  the  chamber  of  horrors  is 
all  ready,  apparently  waiting  only  for  the  patient !  What 
can  it  mean  ?  " 

"  On  your  knees,  Marc  Annibal  Coconnas,"  said  a  voice 
which  caused  that  gentleman  to  raise  his  head.  "  On  your 
knees  to  hear  the  sentence  just  pronounced  on  you !  " 

This  was  an  invitation  against  which  the  whole  soul  of 
Annibal  instinctively  rebelled. 

But  as  he  was  about  to  refuse  two  men  placed  their  hands 
on  his  shoulders  so  unexpectedly  and  so  suddenly  that  his 
knees  bent  under  him  on  the  pavement.  The  voice  con- 
tinued • 


THE    TORTURE    OF    THE    BOOT.  515 

"  Sentence  of  the  court  sitting  in  the  prison  of  Vincennes 
on  Marc  Annibal  de  Coconnas,  accused  and  convicted  of  high 
treason,  of  an  attempt  to  poison,  of  sacrilege  and  magic 
against  the  person  of  the  King,  of  a  conspiracy  against  the 
kingdom,  and  of  having  by  his  pernicious  counsels  driven  a 
prince  of  the  blood  to  rebellion." 

At  each  charge  Coconnas  had  shaken  his  head,  keeping  time 
like  a  fractious  child.  The  judge  continued  : 

"  In  consequence  of  which,  the  aforesaid  Marc  Annibal  de 
Coconnas  shall  be  taken  from  prison  to  the  Place  Saint  Jean 
en  Greve  to  be  there  beheaded  ;  his  property  shall  be  confis- 
cated; his  woods  cut  down  to  the  height  of  six  feet;  his  castles 
destroyed,  and  a  post  planted  there  with  a  copper  plate  bearing 
an  inscription  of  his  crime  and  punishment." 

"  As  for  my  head,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  know  you  will  cut 
that  off,  for  it  is  in  France,  and  in  great  jeopardy  ;  but  as  for 
my  woods  and  castles,  I  defy  all  the  saws  and  axes  of  this 
most  Christian  kingdom  to  harm  them." 

"  Silence  !  "  said  the  judge  ;  and  he  continued  : 

"  Furthermore,  the  aforesaid  Coconnas  " 

"  What !  "  interrupted  Coconnas,  "  is  something  more  to  be 
done  to  me  after  my  head  is  cut  off  ?  Oh  !  that  seems  to  me 
very  hard  !  " 

"  No,  monsieur,"  said  the  judge,  "  before." 

And  he  resumed  : 

"  Furthermore,  the  aforesaid  Coconnas  before  the  execution 
of  his  sentence  shall  undergo  the  severest  torture,  consisting  of 
ten  wedges  "  — 

Coconnas  sprang  up,  flashing  a  burning  glance  at  the  judge. 

"  And  for  what  ?  "  he  cried,  finding  no  other  words  but  these 
simple  ones  to  express  the  thousand  thoughts  that  surged 
through  his  mind. 

In  reality  this  was  complete  ruin  to  Coconnas'  hopes.  He 
would  not  be  taken  to  the  chapel  until  after  the  torture,  from 
which  many  frequently  died.  The  braver  and  stronger  the 
victim,  the  more  likely  he  was  to  die,  for  it  was  considered  an 
act  of  cowardice  to  confess ;  and  so  long  as  the  prisoner  refused 
to  confess  the  torture  was  continued,  and  not  only  continued, 
but  increased. 

The  judge  did  not  reply  to  Coconnas ;  the  rest  of  the  sen- 
tence answered  for  him.  He  continued  : 

"  In  order  to  compel  the  aforesaid  Coconnas  to  confess  in 


516  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

regard  to  his  accomplices,  and  the  details  of  the  plan  and  con- 
spiracy." 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  cried  Coconnas  ;  "  this  is  what  I  call  infa- 
mous ;  more  than  infamous  —  cowardly  ! " 

Accustomed  to  the  anger  of  his  victims,  which  suffering  al- 
ways changed  to  tears,  the  impassible  judge  merely  made  a  sign. 

Coconnas  was  seized  by  the  feet  and  the  shoulders,  overpow- 
ered, laid  on  his  back,  and  bound  to  the  rack  before  he  was 
able  even  to  see  those  who  did  the  act. 

"  Wretches  !  "  shouted  he,  in  a  paroxysm  of  fury,  straining 
the  bed  and  the  cords  so  that  the  tormentors  themselves  drew 
back.  "  Wretches  !  torture  me,  twist  me,  break  me  to  pieces, 
but  you  shall  know  nothing,  I  swear !  Ah  !  you  think,  do  you, 
that  it  is  with  pieces  of  wood  and  steel  that  a  gentleman  of  my 
name  is  made  to  speak  ?  Go  ahead  !  I  defy  you !  " 

"Prepare  to  write,  clerk,"  said  the  judge. 

"  Yes,  prepare,"  shouted  Coconnas ;  "  and  if  you  write  every- 
thing I  am  going  to  tell  you  you  infamous  hangmen,  you 
will  be  kept  busy.  Write  !  write  !  " 

"  Have  you  anything  you  wish  to  confess  ?  "  asked  the  judge 
in  his  calm  voice. 

"  Nothing ;  not  a  word !     Go  to  the  devil !  " 

"  You  had  better  reflect,  monsieur.  Come,  executioner, 
adjust  the  boot." 

At  these  words  the  man,  who  until  then  had  stood  motion- 
less, the  ropes  in  his  hand,  stepped  forward  from  the  pillar 
and  slowly  approached  Coconnas,  who  turned  and  made  a 
grimace  at  him. 

It  was  Maitre  Caboche,  the  executioner  of  the  provostship 
of  Paris. 

A  look  of  sad  surprise  showed  itself  on  the  face  of  Coconnas, 
who,  instead  of  crying  out  and  growing  agitated,  lay  without 
moving,  unable  to  take  his  eyes  from  the  face  of  the  forgotten 
friend  who  appeared  at  that  moment. 

Without  moving  a  muscle  of  his  face,  without  showing  that 
he  had  ever  seen  Coconnas  anywhere  except  on  the  rack, 
Caboche  placed  two  planks  between  the  limbs  of  the  victim, 
two  others  outside  of  his  limbs,  and  bound  them  securely 
together  by  means  of  the  rope  he  held  in  his  hand. 

This  was  the  arrangement  called  the  "boot." 

For  ordinary  torture  six  wedges  were  inserted  between  the 
two  planks,  which,  on  being  forced  apart,  crushed  the  flesh. 


THE    TORTURE    OF    THE    BOOT.  517 

For  severe  torture  ten  wedges  were  inserted,  and  then  the 
planks  not  only  broke  the  flesh  but  the  bones. 

The  preliminaries  over,  Maitre  Caboche  slipped  the  end  of 
the  wedge  between  the  two  planks,  then,  mallet  in  hand,  bent 
on  one  knee  and  looked  at  the  judge. 

"  Do  you  wish  to  speak  ?  "  said  the  latter. 

"No,"  resolutely  answered  Coconnas,  although  he  felt  the 
perspiration  rise  to  his  brow  and  his  hair  begin  to  stand  on 
end. 

"  Proceed,  then,"  said  the  judge.     "  Insert  the  first  wedge." 

Caboche  raised  his  arm,  with  its  heavy  mallet,  and  struck 
the  wedge  a  tremendous  blow,  which  gave  forth  a  dull  sound. 
The  rack  shook. 

Coconnas  did  not  utter  a  single  word  at  the  first  wedge, 
which  usually  caused  the  most  resolute  to  groan.  Moreover, 
the  only  expression  on  his  face  was  that  of  indescribable  as- 
tonishment. He  watched  Caboche  in  amazement,  who,  with 
arm  raised,  half  turned  towards  the  judge,  stood  ready  to  re- 
peat the  blow. 

"  What  was  your  idea  in  hiding  in  the  forest  ?  "  asked  the 
judge. 

"  To  sit  down  in  the  shade,"  replied  Coconnas. 

"  Proceed,"  said  the  judge. 

Caboche  gave  a  second  blow  which  resounded  like  the  first. 

Coconnas  did  not  move  a  muscle  ;  he  continued  to  watch  the 
executioner  with  the  same  expression. 

The  judge  frowned. 

"  He  is  a  hard  Christian,"  he  murmured ;  "  has  the  wedge 
entered  ?  " 

Caboche  bent  down  to  look,  and  in  doing  so  said  to  Cocon- 
nas : 

"  Cry  out,  you  poor  fellow  !  " 

Then  rising : 

"  Up  to  the  head,  monsieur,"  said  he. 

"  Second  wedge,"  said  the  judge,  coldly. 

The  words  of  Caboche  explained  all  to  Coconnas.  The 
worthy  executioner  had  rendered  his  friend  the  greatest  ser- 
vice in  his  power  :  he  was  sparing  him  not  only  pain,  but  more, 
the  shame  of  confession,  by  driving  in  wedges  of  leather,  the 
upper  part  of  which  was  covered  with  wood,  instead  of  oak 
wedges.  In  this  way  he  was  leaving  him  all  his  strength  to 
face  the  scaffold. 


518  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Ah  !  kind,  kind  Caboche,"  murmured  Coconnas,  "  fear 
nothing ;  I  will  cry  out  since  you  ask  me  to,  and  if  you  are  not 
satisfied  it  will  be  because  you  are  hard  to  please." 

Meanwhile  Caboche  had  introduced  between  the  planks  the 
end  of  a  wedge  larger  than  the  first. 

"  Strike,"  cried  the  judge. 

At  this  word  Caboche  struck  as  if  with  a  single  blow  he 
would  demolish  the  entire  prison  of  Vincennes. 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  Stop  !  stop  !  "  cried  Coconnas ;  "  a  thousand 
devils !  you  are  breaking  my  bones !  Take  care  ! " 

"  Ah  !"  said  the  judge,  smiling,  "  the  second  seems  to  take 
effect ;  that  surprises  me." 

Coconnas  panted  like  a  pair  of  bellows. 

"What  were  you  doing  in  the  forest?"  asked  the  judge. 

"  By  Heaven  !  I  have  already  told  you.  I  was  enjoying 
the  fresh  air." 

"  Proceed,"  said  the  judge. 

"  Confess,"  whispered  Caboche. 

"  What  ?  " 

"  Anything  you  wish,  but  something." 

And  he  dealt  a  second  blow  no  less  light  than  the  former. 

Coconnas  thought  he  would  strangle  himself  in  his  efforts  to 
cry  out. 

"  Oh !  oh  !  "  said  he ;  "  what  is  it  you  want  to  know,  mon- 
sieur ?  By  whose  order  I  was  in  the  forest  ?  " 

"Yes."  " 

"  I  was  there  by  order  of  Monsieur  d'Alenqon." 

"  Write,"  said  the  judge. 

"  If  I  committed  a  crime  in  setting  a  trap  for  the  King  of 
Navarre,"  continued  Coconnas,  "  I  was  only  an  instrument, 
monsieur,  and  I  was  obeying  my  master." 

The  clerk  began  to  write. 

"  Oh !  you  denounced  me,  pale-face !  "  murmured  the  vic- 
tim ;  "but  just  wait!" 

And  he  related  the  visit  of  Francois  to  the  King  of  Navarre, 
the  interviews  between  De  Mouy  and  Monsieur  d'Alengon,  the 
story  of  the  red  cloak,  all  as  though  he  were  just  remembering 
them  between  the  blows  of  the  hammer. 

At  length  he  had  given  such  precise,  terrible,  uncontestable 
evidence  against  D'Alenqon,  making  it  seem  as  though  it  was 
extorted  from  him  only  by  the  pain,  —  he  grimaced,  roared, 
and  yelled  so  naturally,  and  in  so  many  different  tones  of 


THE   TORTURE   OF   THE  BOOT.  519 

voice,  —  that  the  judge  himself  became  terrified  at  having  to 
record  details  so  compromising  to  a  son  of  France. 

"  Well ! "  said  Caboche  to  himself,  "  here  is  a  gentleman 
who  does  not  need  to  say  things  twice,  and  who  gives  full 
measure  of  work  to  the  clerk.  Great  God  !  what  if,  instead  of 
leather,  the  wedges  had  been  of  wood ! " 

Coconnas  was  excused  from  the  last  wedge ;  but  he  had  had 
nine  others,  which  were  enough  to  have  crushed  his  limbs  com- 
pletely. 

The  judge  reminded  the  victim  of  the  mercy  allowed  him  on 
account  of  his  confession,  and  withdrew. 

The  prisoner  was  alone  with  Caboche. 

"  Well,"  asked  the  latter,  "  how  are  you  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  my  friend  !  my  kind  friend,  my  dear  Caboche !  "  ex- 
claimed Coconnas.  "  You  may  be  sure  I  shall  be  grateful  all 
my  life  for  what  you  have  done  for  me." 

"  The  deuce  !  but  you  are  right,  monsieur,  for  if  they  knew 
what  I  have  done  it  would  be  I  who  would  have  to  take  your 
place  on  the  rack,  and  they  would  not  treat  me  as  I  have 
treated  you." 

"  But  how  did  the  idea  come  to  you  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Caboche,  wrapping  the  limbs  of  Coconnas  in 
bloody  bands  of  linen  ;  "  I  knew  you  had  been  arrested,  and 
that  your  trial  was  going  on.  I  knew  that  Queen  Catharine 
was  anxious  for  your  death.  I  guessed  that  they  would  put 
you  to  the  torture  and  consequently  took  my  precautions." 

"  At  the  risk  of  what  might  have  happened  ?  " 

"  Monsieur,"  said  Caboche,  "  you  are  the  only  gentleman  who 
ever  gave  me  his  hand,  and  we  all  have  memories  and  hearts, 
even  though  we  are  hangmen,  and  perhaps  for  that  very  reason. 
You  will  see  to-morrow  how  well  I  will  do  my  work." 

"  To-morrow  ?  "  said  Coconnas. 

"  Yes." 

"  What  work  ?  " 

Caboche  looked  at  Coconnas  in  amazement. 

"  What  work  ?     Have  you  forgotten  the  sentence  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  yes,  of  course  !  the  sentence  !  "  said  Coconnas  ;  "  I 
had  forgotten  it." 

The  fact  is  that  Coconnas  had  not  really  forgotten  it,  but  he 
had  not  been  thinking  of  it. 

What  he  was  thinking  of  was  the  chapel,  the  knife  hidden 
under  the  altar  cloth,  of  Henriette  and  the  queen,  of  the  vestry 


520  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

door,  and  the  two  horses  waiting  on  the  edge  of  the  forest ;  he 
was  thinking  of  liberty,  of  the  ride  in  the  open  air,  of  safety 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  France. 

"  Now,"  said  Caboche,  "  you  must  be  taken  skilfully  from 
the  rack  to  the  litter.  Do  not  forget  that  for  every  one,  even 
the  guards,  your  limbs  are  broken,  and  that  at  every  jar  you 
must  give  a  cry." 

"  Ah  !  ah  ! "  cried  Coconnas,  as  the  two  assistants  advanced. 

•"  Come !  come !  Courage,"  said  Caboche,  "  if  you  cry  out 
already,  what  will  you  do  in  a  little  while  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Caboche,"  said  Coconnas,  "  do  not  have  me  touched, 
I  beg,  by  your  estimable  acolytes ;  perhaps  their  hands  are  not 
as  light  as  yours." 

"  Place  the  litter  near  the  racks,"  said  Caboche. 

The  attendants  obej'ed.  Maitre  Caboche  raised  Coconnas 
in  his  arms  as  if  he  were  a  child  and  laid  him  in  the 
litter,  but  in  spite  of  every  care  Coconnas  uttered  loud  shrieks. 

The  jailer  appeared  with  a  lantern. 

"  To  the  chapel,"  said  he. 

The  bearers  started  after  Coconnas  had  given  Caboche  a 
second  grasp  of  the  hand.  The  first  had  been  of  too  much 
use  to  the  Piedmontese  for  him  not  to  repeat  it. 


CHAPTEE   LIX. 

THE    CHAPEL. 

IN  profound  silence  the  mournful  procession  crossed  the 
two  drawbridges  of  the  fortress  and  the  courtyard  which  leads 
to  the  chapel,  through  the  windows  of  which  a  pale  light 
colored  the  white  faces  of  the  red-robed  priests. 

Coconnas  eagerly  breathed  the  night  air,  although  it  was 
heavy  with  rain.  He  looked  at  the  profound  darkness  and 
rejoiced  that  everything  seemed  propitious  for  the  flight  of 
himself  and  his  companion.  It  required  all  his  will-power,  all 
his  prudence,  all  his  self-control  to  keep  from  springing  from 
the  litter  when  on  entering  the  chapel  he  perceived  near  the 
choir,  three  feet  from  the  altar,  a  figure  wrapped  in  a  great 
white  cloak. 

It  was  La  Mole. 


THE    CHAPEL.  521 

The  two  soldiers  who  accompanied  the  litter  stopped  outside 
of  the  door. 

"  Since  they  have  done  us  the  final  favor  of  once  more  leav- 
ing us  together,"  said  Coconnas  in  a  drawling  voice,  "  take 
me  to  my  friend." 

The  bearers  had  had  no  different  order,  and  made  no  objec- 
tion to  assenting  to  Coconnas's  demand. 

La  Mole  was  gloomy  and  pale ;  his  head  rested  against  the 
marble  wall ;  his  black  hair,  bathed  with  profuse  perspiration, 
gave  to  his  face  the  dull  pallor  of  ivory,  and  seemed  still  to 
stand  on  end. 

At  a  sign  from  the  turnkey  the  two  attendants  went  to  find 
the  priest  for  whom  Coconnas  had  asked. 

This  was  the  signal  agreed  on. 

Coconnas  followed  them  with  anxious  eyes  ;  but  he  was 
not  the  only  one  whose  glance  was  riveted  on  them. 

Scarcely  had  they  disappeared  when  two  women  rushed 
from  behind  the  altar  and  hurried  to  the  choir  with  cries  of 
joy,  rousing  the  air  like  a  warm  and  restless  breeze  which 
precedes  a  storm. 

Marguerite  rushed  towards  La  Mole,  and  caught  him  in  her 
arms. 

La  Mole  uttered  a  piercing  shriek,  like  one  of  the  cries 
Coconnas  had  heard  in  his  dungeon  and  which  had  so  terrified 
him.  „ 

"  My  God  !  What  is  the  matter,  La  Mole  ? "  cried  Mar- 
guerite, springing  back  in  fright. 

La  Mole  uttered  a  deep  moan  and  raised  his  hands  to  his 
eyes  as  though  to  hide  Marguerite  from  his  sight. 

The  queen  was  more  terrified  at  the  silence  and  this  gesture 
than  she  had  been  at  the  shriek. 

"  Oh  ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  what  is  the  matter  ?  You  are 
covered  with  blood." 

Coconnas,  who  had  rushed  to  the  altar  for  the  dagger,  and 
who  was  already  holding  Henriette  in  his  arms,  now  came 
back. 

"  Rise,"  said  Marguerite,  "  rise,  I  beg  you  !  You  see  the 
time  has  come." 

A  hopelessly  sad  smile  passed  over  the  white  lips  of 
La  Mole,  who  seemed  almost  unequal  to  the  effort. 

"  Beloved  queen  !  "  said  the  young  man,  "  you  counted  with- 
out Catharine,  and  consequently  without  a  crime.  1  under- 


522  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

went  the  torture,  my  bones  are  broken,  my  whole  body  is 
nothing  but  a  wound,  arid  the  effort  I  make  now  to  press  my 
lips  to  your  forehead  causes  me  pain  worse  than  death." 

Pale  and  trembling,  La  Mole  touched  his  lips  to  the  queen's 
brow. 

"  The  rack  !  "  cried  Coconnas,  "  I,  too,  suffered  it,  but  did 
not  the  executioner  do  for  you  what  he  did  for  me  ?  " 

Coconnas  related  everything. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  I  see  ;  you  gave  him  your  hand  the 
day  of  our  visit ;  I  forgot  that  all  men  are  brothers,  and  was 
proud.  God  has  punished  me  for  it ! " 

La  Mole  clasped  his  hands. 

Coconnas  and  the  women  exchanged  a  glance  of  indescrib- 
able terror. 

"  Come,"  said  the  jailer,  who  until  then  had  stood  at  the 
door  to  keep  watch,  and  had  now  returned,  "  do  not  waste 
time,  dear  Monsieur  de  Coconnas;  give  me  my  thrust  of  the 
dagger,  and  do  it  in  a  way  worthy  of  a  gentleman,  for  they  are 
coining." 

Marguerite  knelt  down  before  La  Mole,  as  if  she  were  one 
of  the  marble  figures  on  a  tomb,  near  the  image  of  the  one 
buried  in  it. 

"  Come,  my  friend,"  said  Coconnas,  "  I  am  strong,  I  will 
carry  you,  I  will  put  you  on  your  horse,  or  even  hold  you  in 
front  of  me,  if  you  cannot  sit  in  the  saddle-;  but  let  us  start. 
You  hear  what  this  good  man  says ;  it  is  a  question  of  life  and 
death." 

La  Mole  made  a  superhuman  struggle,  a  final  effort. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  it  is  a  question  of  life  or  death." 

And  he  strove  to  rise. 

Annibal  took  him  by  the  arm  and  raised  him.  During  the^ 
process  La  Mole  uttered  dull  moans,  but  when  Coconnas  let  go 
of  him  to  attend  to  the  turnkey,  and  when  he  was  supported 
only  by  the  two  women  his  legs  gave  way,  and  in  spite  of  the 
effort  of  Marguerite,  who  was  wildly  sobbing,  he  fell  back  in  a 
heap,  and  a  piercing  shriek  which  he  could  not  restrain 
echoed  pitifully  throughout  the  vaults  of  the  chapel,  which 
vibrated  long  after. 

"  You  see,"  said  La  Mole,  painfully,  "  you  see,  my  queen  ! 
Leave  me  ;  give  me  one  last  kiss  and  go.  I  did  not  confess, 
Marguerite,  and  our  secret  is  hidden  in  our  love  and  will  die 
with  me.  Good-by,  my  queen,  my  queen." 


THE    CHAPEL.  523 

Marguerite,  herself  almost  lifeless,  clasped  the  dear  head  in 
her  arms,  and  pressed  on  it  a  kiss  which  was  almost  holy. 

"  You  Annibal,"  said  La  Mole,  "  who  have  been  spared  these 
agonies,  who  are  still  young  and  able  to  live,  flee,  flee ;  give 
me  the  supreme  consolation,  my  dear  friend,  of  knowing  you 
have  escaped." 

"  Time  flies,"  said  the  jailer;  "make  haste." 

Henriette  gently  strove  to  lead  Annibal  to  the  door.  Mar- 
guerite on  her  knees  before  La  Mole,  sobbing,  and  with  di- 
shevelled hair,  looked  like  a  Magdalene. 

"  Flee,  Annibal,"  said  La  Mole,  "  flee ;  do  not  give  our 
enemies  the  joyful  spectacle  of  the  death  of  two  innocent 
men." 

Coconnas  quietly  disengaged  himself  from  Henriette,  who  was 
leading  him  to  the  door,  and  with  a  gesture  so  solemn  that  it 
seemed  majestic  said : 

"  Madame,  first  give  the  five  hundred  crowns  we  promised 
to  this  man." 

"  Here  they  are,"  said  Henriette. 

Then  turning  to  La  Mole,  and  shaking  his  head  sadly  : 

"  As  for  you,  La  Mole,  you  do  me  wrong  to  think  for  an 
instant  that  I  could  leave  you.  Have  I  not  sworn  to  live  and 
die  with  you  ?  But  you  are  suffering  so,  my  poor  friend,  that 
I  forgive  you." 

And  seating  himself  resolutely  beside  his  friend  Coconnas 
leaned  forward  and  kissed  his  forehead. 

Then  gently,  as  gently  as  a  mother  would  do  to  her  child, 
he  drew  the  dear  head  towards  him,  until  it  rested  on  his 
breast. 

Marguerite  was  numb.  She  had  picked  up  the  dagger  which 
Coconnas  had  just  let  fall. 

"  Oh,  my  queen,"  said  La  Mole,  extending  his  arms  to  her, 
and  understanding  her  thought,  "  my  beloved  queen,  do  not 
forget  that  I  die  in  order  to  destroy  the  slightest  suspicion  of 
our  love  ! " 

"  But  what  can  I  do  for  you,  then,"  cried  Marguerite,  in  de- 
spair, "  if  I  cannot  die  with  you  ?  " 

"  You  can  make  death  sweet  to  me,"  replied  La  Mole ; "  you 
can  come  to  me  with  smiling  lips." 

Marguerite  advanced  and  clasped  her  hands  as  if  asking  him 
to  speak. 

"  Do  you  remember  that  evening,  Marguerite,  when  in  ex- 


524  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

change  for  the  life  I  then  offered  you,  and  which  to-day  I  lay 
down  for  you,  you  made  me  a  sacred  promise." 

Marguerite  gave  a  start. 

"  Ah  !  you  do  remember,"  said  La  Mole,  "  for  you  shud- 
der." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  remember,  and  on  my  soul,  Hyacinthe,  I  will 
keep  that  promise." 

Marguerite  raised  her  hand  towards  the  altar,  as  if  calling 
God  a  second  time  to  witness  her  oath. 

La  Mole's  face  lighted  up  as  if  the  vaulted  roof  of  the 
chapel  had  opened  and  a  heavenly  ray  had  fallen  on  him. 

"  They  are  coming!  "  said  the  jailer. 

Marguerite  uttered  a  cry,  and  rushed  to  La  Mole,  but  the 
fear  of  increasing  his  agony  made  her  pause  trembling  before 
him. 

Henriette  pressed  her  lips  to  Coconnas's  brow,  and  said  to 
him : 

"  My  Annibal,  I  understand,  and  I  am  proud  of  you.  I 
well  know  that  your  heroism  makes  you  die,  and  for  that 
heroism  I  love  you.  Before  God  I  will  always  love  you  more 
than  all  else,  and  what  Marguerite  has  sworn  to  do  for 
La  Mole,  although  I  know  not  what  it  is,  I  swear  I  will  do  for 
you  also." 

And  she  held  out  her  hand  to  Marguerite. 

"  Ah !  thank  you,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  that  is  the  way  to 
speak." 

"  Before  you  leave  me,  my  queen,"  said  La  Mole,  "  one  last 
favor.  Give  me  some  last  souvenir,  that  I  may  kiss  it  as  I 
mount  the  scaffold." 

"  Ah  !  yes,  yes,"  cried  Marguerite ;  "  here !  " 

And  she  unfastened  from  her  neck  a  small  gold  reliquary 
suspended  from  a  chain  of  the  same  metal. 

"  Here,"  said  she,  "  is  a  holy  relic  which  I  have  worn  from 
childhood.  My  mother  put  it  around  my  neck  when  I  was 
very  little  and  she  still  loved  me.  It  was  given  me  by  my 
uncle,  Pope  Clement  and  has  never  left  me.  Take  it !  take 
it!" 

La  Mole  took  it,  and  kissed  it  passionately. 

"  They  are  at  the  door,"  said  the  jailer ;  "  flee,  ladies,  flee ! " 

The  two  women  rushed  behind  the  altar  and  disappeared. 

At  the  same  moment  the  priest  entered. 


THE    PLACE    SAINT   JEAN   EN    GREVE.        625 
CHAPTER  LX. 

THE  PLACE  SAINT  JEAN  EN  GREVE. 

IT  was  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  a  noisy  crowd 
was  waiting  in  the  squares,  the  streets,  and  on  the  quays.  At 
six  o'clock  a  tumbril,  the  same  in  which  after  their  duel  the 
two  friends  had  been  conveyed  half  dead  to  the  Louvre,  had 
started  from  Vincennes  and  slowly  crossed  the  Rue  Saint  An- 
toine.  Along  its  route  the  spectators,  so  huddled  together  that 
they  crushed  one  another,  seemed  like  statues  with  fixed  eyes 
and  open  mouths. 

This  day  there  was  to  be  a  heartrending  spectacle  offered 
by  the  queen  mother  to  the  people  of  Paris. 

On  some  straw  in  the  tumbril,  we  have  mentioned,  which 
was  making  its  way  through  the  streets,  were  two  young 
men,  bareheaded,  and  entirely  clothed  in  black,  leaning  against 
each  other.  Coconnas  supported  on  his  knees  La  Mole,  whose 
head  hung  over  the  sides  of  the  tumbril,  and  whose  eyes  wan- 
dered vaguely  here  and  there. 

The  crowd,  eager  to  see  even  the  bottom  of  the  vehicle, 
crowded  forward,  lifted  itself  up,  stood  on  tiptoe,  mounted 
posts,  clung  to  the  angles  of  the  walls,  and  appeared  satisfied 
only  when  it  had  succeeded  in  seeing  every  detail  of  the  two 
bodies  which  were  going  from  the  torture  to  death. 

It  had  been  rumored  that  La  Mole  was  dying  without  having 
confessed  one  of  the  charges  imputed  to  him ;  while,  on  the 
contrary,  Coconnas,  it  was  asserted,  could  not  endure  the  tor- 
ture, and  had  revealed  everything. 

So  there  were  cries  on  all  sides  : 

"  See  the  red-haired  one !  It  was  he  who  confessed  !  It 
was  he  who  told  everything !  He  is  a  coward,  and  is  the 
cause  of  the  other's  death  !  The  other  is  a  brave  fellow,  and 
confessed  nothing." 

The  two  young  men  heard  perfectly,  the  one  the  praises,  the 
other  the  reproaches,  which  accompanied  their  funeral  march  ; 
and  while  La  Mole  pressed  the  hands  of  his  friend  a  sublime 
expression  of  scorn  lighted  up  the  face  of  the  Piedrnontese, 
who  from  the  foul  tumbril  gazed  upon  the  stupid  mob  as  if  he 
were  looking  down  from  a  triumphal  car. 

Misfortune  had  done  its  heavenly  work,  and  had  ennobled 


526  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

the  face  of  Coconnas,  as  death  was  about  to  render  divine  his 
soul. 

"  Are  we  nearly  there  ?  "  asked  La  Mole.  "  I  can  stand  no 
more,  ray  friend.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  going  to  faint." 

"Wait!  wait!  La  Mole,  we  are  passing  by  the  Rue  Tizon 
and  the  Rue  Cloche  Percee ;  look  !  look  ! " 

"  Oh !  raise  me,  raise  me,  that  I  may  once  more  gaze  on  that 
happy  abode." 

Coconnas  raised  his  hand  and  touched  the  shoulder  of  the 
executioner,  who  sat  at  the  front  of  the  tumbril  driving. 

"  Maitre,"  said  he,  "  do  us  the  kindness  to  stop  a  moment 
opposite  the  Rue  Tizon." 

Caboche  nodded  in  assent,  and  drew  rein  at  the  place  indi- 
cated. 

Aided  by  Coconnas,  La  Mole  raised  himself  with  an  effort, 
and  with  eyes  blinded  by  tears  gazed  at  the  small  house,  silent 
and  mute,  deserted  as  a  tomb.  A  groan  burst  from  him,  and 
in  a  low  voice  he  murmured : 

"  Adieu,  adieu,  youth,  love,  life !  " 

And  his  head  fell  forward  on  his  breast. 

"  Courage,"  said  Coconnas ;  "  we  may  perhaps  find  all  this 
above." 

"  Do  yoii  think  so  ?  "  murmured  La  Mole. 

"  I  think  so,  because  the  priest  said  so ;  and  above  all, 
because  I  hope  so.  But  do  not  faint,  my  friend,  or  these 
staring  wretches  will  laugh  at  us." 

Caboche  heard  the  last  words  and  whipping  his  horse  with 
one  hand  he  extended  the  other,  unseen  by  any  one,  to  Cocon- 
nas. It  contained  a  small  sponge  saturated  with  a  powerful 
stimulant,  and  La  Mole,  after  smelling  it  and  rubbing  his 
forehead  with  it,  felt  himself  revived  and  reanimated. 

"  Ah ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  I  am  better,"  and  he  kissed  the 
reliquary,  which  he  wore  around  his  neck. 

As  they  turned  a  corner  of  the  quay  and  reached  the  small 
edifice  built  by  Henry  II.  they  saw  the  scaffold  rising  bare  and 
bloody  on  its  platform  above  the  heads  of  the  crowd. 

"  Dear  friend,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  wish  I  might  be  the  first 
to  die." 

Coconnas  again  touched  the  hangman's  shoulder. 

"  What  is  it,  my  gentleman  ?  "  said  the  latter,  turning  around. 

"  My  good  fellow,"  said  Coconnas,  "  you  will  do  what  you 
can  for  me,  will  you  not  ?  You  said  you  would." 


THE    PLACE    SAINT  JEAN   EN    GREVE.         627 

"  Yes,  and  I  repeat  it." 

"  My  friend  has  suffered  more  than  I  and  consequently  has 
less  strength  "  — 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  says  that  it  would  cause  him  too  much  pain  to 
see  me  die  first.  Besides,  if  I  were  to  die  before  him  he 
would  have  no  one  to  support  him  on  the  scaffold." 

"Very  well,"  said  Caboche,  wiping  away  a  tear  with  the 
back  of  his  hand ;  "  be  easy,  it  shall  be  as  you  wish." 

"  And  with  one  blow,  eh  ?  "  said  the  Piedmontese  in  a  low 
tone. 

"  With  one  blow." 

"  That  is  well.  If  you  have  to  make  up  for  it,  make  up  on 
me." 

The  tumbril  stopped.  They  had  arrived.  Coconnas  put  on 
his  hat 

A  murmur  like  that  of  the  waves  at  sea  reached  the  ears  of 
La  Mole.  He  strove  to  rise,  but  strength  failed  him.  Caboche 
and  Coconnas  supported  him  under  the  arms. 

The  place  was  paved  with  heads ;  the  steps  of  the  Hotel  de 
Ville  seemed  an  amphitheatre  peopled  with  spectators.  Each 
window  was  filled  with  animated  faces,  the  eyes  of  which 
seemed  on  fire. 

When  they  saw  the  handsome  young  man,  no  longer  able  to 
support  himself  on  his  bruised  legs,  make  a  last  effort  to 
reach  the  scaffold,  a  great  shout  rose  like  a  cry  of  universal 
desolation.  Men  groaned  and  women  uttered  plaintive  shrieks. 

"  He  was  one  of  the  greatest  courtiers  !  "  said  the  men ; 
"  and  he  should  not  have  to  die  at  Saint  Jean  en  Greve,  but 
at  the  Pre  aux  Clercs." 

"  How  handsome  he  is !  How  pale  !  "  said  the  women  ;  "  he 
is  the  one  who  would  not  confess." 

"  Dearest  friend,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  cannot  stand.  Carry 
me!" 

"  Wait,"  said  Coconnas. 

He  signed  to  the  executioner,  who  stepped  aside ;  then, 
stooping,  he  lifted  La  Mole  in  his  arms  as  if  he  were  a  child, 
and  without  faltering  carried  his  burden  up  the  steps  of  the 
scaffold,  where  he  put  him  down,  amid  the  frantic  shouting 
and  applause  of  the  multitude.  Coconnas  raised  his  hat 
and  bowed.  Then  he  threw  the  hat  on  the  scaffold  beside 
him. 


528  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

11  Look  round,"  said  La  Mole,  "  do  you  not  see  them  some- 
where ?  " 

Coconnas  slowly  glanced  around  the  place,  and,  having 
reached  a  certain  point,  without  removing  his  eyes  from  it  he 
laid  his  hand  on  his  friend's  shoulder. 

"  Look,"  said  he,  "  look  at  the  window  of  that  small 
tower !  " 

With  his  other  hand  he  pointed  out  to  La  Mole  the  little 
building  which  still  stands  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  de  la 
Vannerie  and  the  Rue  Mouton,  —  a  reminder  of  past  ages. 

Somewhat  back  from  the  window  two  women  dressed  in 
black  were  leaning  against  each  other. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  I  feared  only  one  thing,  and  that 
was  to  die  without  seeing  her  again.  I  have  seen  her ;  now  I 
can  go." 

And  with  his  eyes  riveted  on  the  small  window  he  raised  the 
reliquary  to  his  lips  and  covered  it  with  kisses. 

Coconnas  saluted  the  two  women  with  as  much  grace  as  if 
he  were  in  a  drawing-room.  In  response  to  this  they  waved 
their  handkerchiefs  bathed  in  tears. 

Caboche  now  touched  Coconnas  on  the  shoulder,  and  looked 
at  him  significantly. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  Piedmontese.  Then  turning  to  La 
Mole  : 

"Embrace  me,"  said  he,  "and  die  like  a  man.  This  will 
not  be  hard  for  you,  my  friend  ;  you  are  so  brave  !  " 

"  Ah  !  "  said  La  Mole,  "  there  will  be  no  merit  in  my  dying 
bravely,  suffering  as  I  do." 

The  priest  approached  and  held  the  crucifix  before  La  Mole, 
who  smiled  and  pointed  to  the  reliquary  in  his  hand. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  priest,  "  ask  strength  from  Him  who 
suffered  what  you  are  about  to  suffer." 

La  Mole  kissed  the  feet  of  the  Christ. 

"  Commend  me  to  the  prayers  of  the  nuns  of  the  Avens 
Sainte  Vierge." 

"  Make  haste,  La  Mole,"  said  Coconnas,  "  you  cause  me  such 
suffering  that  I  feel  myself  growing  weak." 

"  I  am  ready,"  said  La  Mole. 

"  Can  you  keep  your  head  steady  ?  "  inquired  Caboche,  hold- 
ing his  sword  behind  La  Mole,  who  was  on  his  knees. 

"  I  hope  so,"  said  the  latter. 

«  Then  all  will  go  well." 


THE    PLACE    SAINT   JEAN    EN    GREVE.         529 

"  But,"  said  La  Mole,  "  you  will  not  forget  what  I  asked  of 
you  ?  This  reliquary  will  open  the  doors  to  you." 

"  Be  easy.     Now  try  to  keep  your  head  straight." 

La  Mole  raised  his  head  and  turned  his  eyes  towards  the 
little  tower. 

"  Adieu,  Marguerite,"  said  he ;  "  bless  "  — 

He  never  finished.  With  one  blow  of  his  sword,  as  swift 
as  a  stroke  of  lightning,  Caboche  severed  the  head,  which 
rolled  to  the  feet  of  Coconnas. 

The  body  fell  back  gently  as  if  going  to  rest. 

A  great  cry  nose  from  thousands  of  voices,  and,  among  them, 
it  seemed  to  Coconnas  that  he  heard  a  shriek  more  piercing 
than  all  the  rest. 

"  Thank  you,  my  good  friend,"  said  Coconnas,  and  a  third 
time  he  extended  his  hand  to  the  hangman. 

"  My  son,"  said  the  priest,  "  have  you  nothing  to  confess  to 
God  ?  " 

"  Faith  no,  father,"  said  the  Piedmontese  ;  "  all  that  I  had 
to  say  I  said  to  you  yesterday." 

Then  turning  to  Caboche : 

"  Now,  executioner,  my  last  friend,  one  more  favor !  " 

Before  kneeling  down  he  turned  on  the  crowd  a  glance  so 
calm  and  serene  that  a  murmur  of  admiration  rose,  which 
soothed  his  ear  and  flattered  his  pride.  Then,  raising  the  head 
of  his  friend  and  pressing  a  kiss  on  the  purple  lips,  he  gave  a 
last  look  toward  the  little  tower,  and  kneeling  down,  still  hold- 
ing the  well-loved  head  in  his  hand,  he  said : 

«  Now ! " 

Scarcely  had  he  uttered  the  word  before  Caboche  had  cut  off 
his  head. 

This  done,  the  poor  hangman  began  to  tremble. 

"  It  was  time  it  was  over,"  said  he.     "Poor  fellow  ! " 

And  with  difficulty  he  drew  from  the  clinched  fingers  of 
La  Mole  the  reliquary  of  gold.  Then  he  threw  his  cloak  over 
the  sad  remains  which  the  tumbril  was  to  convey  to  his  own 
abode. 

The  spectacle  over,  the  crowd  dispersed. 


530  MARGUERITE    DE     VALOIS. 

CHAPTER   LXI. 
THE  HEADSMAN'S  TOWER. 

NIGHT  descended  over  the  city,  which  still  trembled  at  the 
remembrance  of  the  execution,  the  details  of  which  passed 
from  mouth  to  mouth,  saddening  the  happy  supper  hour  in 
every  home.  In  contrast  to  the  city,  which  was  silent  and 
mournful,  the  Louvre  was  noisy,  joyous,  and  illuminated. 
There  was  a  grand  fe"te  at  the  palace,  a  f§te  ordered  by 
Charles  IX.,  a  fe~te  he  had  planned  for  that  evening  at  the 
very  time  that  he  had  ordered  the  execution  for  the  morning. 

The  previous  evening  the  Queen  of  Navarre  had  received 
word  to  be  present,  and,  in  the  hope  that  La  Mole  and  Cocon- 
nas  would  have  escaped  during  the  night,  since  every  measure 
had  been  taken  for  their  safety,  she  had  promised  her  brother 
to  comply  with  his  wishes. 

But  when  she  had  lost  all  hope,  after  the  scene  in  the  chapel, 
after,  out  of  a  last  feeling  of  piety  for  that  love,  the  greatest 
and  the  deepest  she  had  ever  known,  she  had  been  present 
at  the  execution,  she  resolved  that  neither  prayers  nor  threats 
should  force  her  to  attend  a  joyous  festival  at  the  Louvre 
the  same  day  on  which  she  had  witnessed  so  terrible  a  scene 
at  the  Greve. 

That  day  King  Charles  had  given  another  proof  of  the  will 
power  which  no  one  perhaps  carried  as  far  as  he.  In  bed  for 
a  fortnight,  weak  as  a  dying  man,  pale  as  a  corpse,  yet  he  rose 
about  five  o'clock  and  donned  his  most  beautiful  clothes, 
although  during  his  toilet  he  fainted  three  times. 

At  eight  o'clock  he  asked  what  had  become  of  his  sister, 
and  inquired  if  any  one  had  seen  her  and  what  she  was  doing. 
No  one  could  tell  him,  for  the  queen  had  gone  to  her  apart- 
ments about  eleven  o'clock  and  had  absolutely  refused  admit- 
tance to  every  one. 

But  there  was  no  refusal  for  Charles.  Leaning  on  the  arm 
of  Monsieur  de  Nancey,  he  went  to  the  queen's  rooms  and 
entered  unannounced  by  the  secret  corridor. 

Although  he  had  expected  a  melancholy  sight,  and  had  pre- 
pared himself  for  it  in  advance,  that  which  he  saw  was  even 
more  distressing  than  he  had  anticipated. 

Marguerite,  half  dead,  was  lying  on  a  divan,  her  head  buried 


THE    HEADSMAN'S    TOWER.  531 

in  the  cushions,  neither  weeping  nor  praying,  but  moaning  like 
one  in  great  agony ;  and  this  she  had  been  doing  ever  since  her 
return  from  the  Greve.  At  the  other  end  of  the  chamber  Hen- 
riette  de  Nevers,  that  daring  woman,  lay  stretched  on  the  carpet 
unconscious.  On  coming  back  from  the  Greve  her  strength, 
like  Marguerite's,  had  given  out,  and  poor  Gillonne  was  going 
from  one  to  the  other,  not  daring  to  offer  a  word  of  consolation. 

In  the  crises  which  follow  great  catastrophes  one  hugs 
one's  grief  like  a  treasure,  and  any  one  who  attempts  to  divert 
us,  ever  so  slightly,  is  looked  on  as  an  enemy.  Charles  IX. 
closed  the  door,  and  leaving  Nancey  in  the  corridor  entered, 
pale  and  trembling. 

Neither  of  the  women  had  seen  him.  Gillonne  alone,  who 
was  trying  to  revive  Henriette,  rose  on  one  knee,  and  looked  in 
a  startled  way  at  the  King. 

The  latter  made  a  sign  with  his  hand,  whereupon  the  girl 
rose,  courtesied,  and  withdrew. 

Charles  then  approached  Marguerite,  looked  at  her  a  moment 
in  silence,  and  in  a  tone  of  which  his  harsh  voice  was  supposed 
to  be  incapable,  said : 

"  Margot !  my  sister ! " 

The  young  woman  started  and  sat  up. 

"  Your  Majesty  !  "  said  she. 

"  Come,  sister,  courage." 

Marguerite  raised  her  eyes  to  Heaven. 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  "  but  listen  to  me." 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  made  a  sign  of  assent. 

"  You  promised  me  to  come  to  the  ball,"  said  Charles. 

"  I ! "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  Yes,  and  after  your  promise  you  are  expected  ;  so  that  if 
you  do  not  come  every  one  will  wonder  why." 

"  Excuse  me,  brother,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  see  that  I  am 
suffering  greatly." 

"  Exert  yourself." 

For  an  instant  Marguerite  seemed  to  try  to  summon  her, 
courage,  then  suddenly  she  gave  way  and  fell  back  among  the 
cushions. 

"  No,  no,  I  cannot  go,"  said  she. 

Charles  took  her  hand  and  seating  himself  on  the  divan  said  : 

"  You  have  just  lost  a  friend,  I  know,  Margot;  but  look  at 
me.  Have  I  not  lost  all  my  friends,  even  my  mother  ?  You 
can  always  weep  when  you  wish  to;  but  I,  at  the  moment  of 


632  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

my  greatest  sorrows,  am  always  forced  to  smile.  You  suffer ; 
but  look  at  me  !  I  am  dying.  Come,  Margot,  courage  !  I 
ask  it  of  you,  sister,  in  the  name  of  our  honor  !  We  bear  like 
a  cross  of  agony  the  reputation  of  our  house ;  let  us  bear  it, 
sister,  as  the  Saviour  bore  his  cross  to  Calvary ;  and  if  on 
the  way  we  stagger,  as  he  did,  let  us  like  him  rise  brave  and 
resigned." 

"  Oh,  my  God  !  my  God  !  "  cried  Marguerite. 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  answering  her  thought ;  "  the  sacrifice 
is  severe,  sister,  but  each  one  has  his  own  burden,  some  of 
honor,  others  of  life.  Do  you  suppose  that  with  my  twenty- 
five  years,  and  the  most  beautiful  throne  in  the  world,  I  do 
not  regret  dying  ?  Look  at  me !  My  eyes,  my  complexion, 
my  lips  are  those  of  a  dying  man,  it  is  true  ;  but  my  smile, 
does  not  my  smile  imply  that  I  still  hope  ?  and  in  a  week,  a 
month  at  the  most,  you  will  be  weeping  for  me,  sister,  as  you 
now  weep  for.  him  who  died  to-day." 

"  Brother  ! "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  throwing  her  arms  about 
Charles's  neck. 

"  So  dress  yourself,  dear  Marguerite,"  said  the  King,  u  hide 
your  pallor  and  come  to  the  ball.  I  have  given  orders  for  new 
jewels  to  be  brought  to  you,  and  ornaments  worthy  of  your 
beauty." 

"Oh  !  what  are  diamonds  and  dresses  to  me  now  ? "  said 
Marguerite. 

"  Life  is  long,  Marguerite,"  said  Charles,  smiling,  "  at  least 
for  you." 

The  pages  withdrew  ;  Gillonne  alone  remained. 

"  Prepare  everything  that  is  necessary  for  me,  Gillonne," 
said  Marguerite. 

"  Sister,  remember  one  thing :  sometimes  it  is  by  stifling  or 
rather  by  dissimulating  our  suffering  that  we  show  most  honor 
to  the  dead." 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  Marguerite,  shuddering,  "  I  will  go  to  the 
ball." 

A  tear,  which  soon  dried  on  his  parched  eyelid,  moistened 
Charles's  eye. 

He  leaned  over  his  sister,  kissed  her  forehead,  paused  an  in- 
stant before  Henriette,  who  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  him, 
and  murmured : 

"  Poor  woman  !  " 

Then  he  went  out  silently. 


THE  HEADSMAN'S  TOWER.  533 

Soon  after  several  pages  entered,  bringing  boxes  and  jewel- 
caskets. 

Marguerite  made  a  sign  for  them  to  set  everything  down. 

Gillonue  looked  at  her  mistress  in  astonishment. 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite,  in  a  tone  the  bitterness  of  which 
it  is  impossible  to  describe ;  yes,  I  will  dress  and  go  to  the 
ball ;  I  am  expected.  Make  haste  ;  the  day  will  then  be  com- 
plete. A  f§te  on  the  Greve  in  the  morning,  a  f§te  in  the 
Louvre  in  the  evening." 

"  And  the  duchess  ?  "  said  Gillonne. 

"  She  is  quite  happy.  She  may  remain  here ;  she  can 
weep  ;  she  can  suffer  at  her  ease.  She  is  not  the  daughter  of 
a  king,  the  wife  of  a  king,  the  sister  of  a  king.  She  is  not  a 
queen.  Help  me  to  dress,  Gillonne." 

The  young  girl  obeyed.  The  jewels  were  magnificent,  the 
dress  gorgeous.  Marguerite  had  never  been  so  beautiful. 

She  looked  at  herself  in  a  mirror. 

"  My  brother  is  right,"  said  she  ;  "  a  human  being  is  indeed 
a  miserable  creature." 

At  that  moment  Gillonne  returned. 

"  Madame,"  said  she,  "  a  man  is  asking  for  you." 

"  For  me  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

«  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  but  he  is  terrible  to  look  at ;  the  very  sight 
of  him  makes  me  shudder." 

"  Go  and  ask  him  his  name,"  said  Marguerite,  turning 
pale. 

Gillonne  withdrew,  and  returned  in  a  few  moments. 

"  He  will  not  give  his  name,  madame,  but  he  begged  me  to 
give  you  this." 

Gillonne  handed  to  Marguerite  the  reliquary  she  had  given 
to  La  Mole  the  previous  evening. 

"  Oh  !  bring  him  in,  bring  him  in  !  "  said  the  queen  quickly, 
growing  paler  and  more  numb  than  before. 

A  heavy  step  shook  the  floor.  The  echo,  indignant,  no  doubt, 
at  having  to  repeat  such  a  sound,  moaned  along  the  wainscot- 
ing. A  man  stood  on  the  threshold. 

"  You  are  "  —  said  the  queen. 

"  He  whom  you  met  one  day  near  Montfaucon,  madame,  and 
who  in  his  tumbril  brought  back  two  wounded  gentlemen  to 
the  Louvre." 


534  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  know  you.     You  are  Maitre  Caboche." 

"  Executioner  of  the  provostship  of  Paris,  madame." 

These  were  the  only  words  Henriette  had  heard  for  an  hour. 
She  raised  her  pale  face  from  her  hands  and  looked  at  the 
man  with  her  sapphire  eyes,  from  which  a  double  flame 
seemed  to  dart. 

"  And  you  come  "  —  said  Marguerite,  trembling. 

"  To  remind  you  of  your  promise  to  the  younger  of  the  two 
gentlemen,  who  charged  me  to  give  you  this  reliquary.  You 
remember  the  promise,  madame  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  exclaimed  the  queen,  "  and  never  has  a  noble 
soul  had  more  satisfaction  than  his  shall  have;  but  where 
is"  — 

"  At  my  house  with  the  body." 

"  At  your  house  ?     Why  did  you  not  bring  it  ?  " 

"  I  might  have  been  stopped  at  the  gate  of  the  Louvre,  and 
compelled  to  raise  my  cloak.  What  would  they  have  said  if 
they  had  seen  a  head  under  it  ?  " 

"  That  is  right ;  keep  it.     I  will  come  for  it  to-morrow." 

"  To-morrow,  madame,"  said  Caboche,  "  may  perhaps  be  too 
late." 

"  How  so  ?  " 

"Because  the  queen  mother  wanted  the  heads  of  the  first 
victims  executed  by  me  to  be  kept  for  her  magical  experiments." 

"  Oh  !  What  profanation !  The  heads  of  our  well-beloved  ! 
Henriette,"  cried  Marguerite,  turning  to  her  friend,  who  had 
risen  as  if  a  spring  had  placed  her  on  her  feet,  "  Henriette,  my 
angel,  do  you  hear  what  this  man  says  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  what  must  we  do  ?  " 

"  Go  with  him." 

Then  uttering  a  cry  of  pain  by  which  great  sufferers  return 
to  life : 

"  Ah !  I  was  so  happy,"  said  Henriette  ;  "  I  was  almost 
dead." 

Meanwhile  Marguerite  had  thrown  a  velvet  cloak  over  her 
bare  shoulders. 

"  Come,"  said  she,  "  we  will  go  and  see  them  once  more." 

Telling  Gillonne  to  have  all  the  doors  closed,  the  queen 
gave  orders  for  a  litter  to  be  brought  to  the  private  entrance, 
and  taking  Henriette  by  the  arm,  she  descended  by  the  secret 
corridor,  signing  to  Caboche  to  follow. 

At   the  lower  door  was  the    litter ;  at    the  gate  Caboche's 


THE    HEADSMAN'S    TOWER.  535 

attendant  waited  with  a  lantern.  Marguerite's  porters  were 
trusty  men,  deaf  and  dumb,  more  to  be  depended  on  than  if 
they  had  been  beasts  of  burden. 

They  walked  for  about  ten  minutes,  preceded  by  Caboche 
and  his  servant,  carrying  the  lantern.  Then  they  stopped. 
The  hangman  opened  the  door,  while  his  man  went  ahead. 

Marguerite  stepped  from  the  litter  and  helped  out  the 
Duchesse  de  Xevers.  In  the  deep  grief  which  bound  them 
together  it  was  the  nervous  organism  which  was  the  stronger. 

The  headsman's  tower  rose  before  them  like  a  dark,  vague 
giant,  giving  out  a  lurid  gleam  from  two  narrow  upper  win- 
dows. 

The  attendant  reappeared  at  the  door. 

"  You  can  enter,  ladies,"  said  Caboche ;  "  every  one  is 
asleep  in  the  tower." 

At  the  same  moment  the  light  from  above  was  extinguished. 

The  two  women,  holding  to  each  other,  passed  through  the 
small  gothic  door,  and  reached  a  dark  hall  with  damp  and 
uneven  pavement.  At  the  end  of  a  winding  corridor  they  per- 
ceived a  light  and  guided  by  the  gruesome  master  of  the 
place  they  set  out  towards  it.  The  door  closed  behind  them. 

Caboche,  a  wax  torch  in  hand,  admitted  them  into  a  lower 
room  filled  with  smoke.  In  the  centre  was  a  table  containing 
the  remains  of  a  supper  for  three.  These  three  were  probably 
the  hangman,  his  wife,  and  his  chief  assistant.  In  a  conspic- 
uous place  on  the  wall  a  parchment  was  nailed,  sealed  with 
the  seal  of  the  King.  It  was  the  hangman's  license.  In  a 
corner  was  a  long-handled  sword.  This  was  the  flaming 
sword  of  justice. 

Here  and  there  were  various  rough  drawings  representing 
martyrs  undergoing  the  torture. 

At  the  door  Caboche  made  a  low  bow. 

"Your  majesty  will  excuse  me,"  said  he,  "if  I  ventured  to 
enter  the  Louvre  and  bring  you  here.  But  it  was  the  last 
wish  of  the  gentleman,  so  that  I  felt  I " 

"You  did  well,  Maitre,"  said  Marguerite,  "and  here  is  a 
reward  for  you." 

Caboche  looked  sadly  at  the  large  purse  which  Marguerite 
laid  on  the  table. 

"  Gold  !  "  said  he  ;  "  always  gold !  Alas  !  madame,  if  I  only 
could  buy  back  for  gold  the  blood  I  was  forced  to  spill  to- 
day!" 


536  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Maitre,"  said  Marguerite,  looking  around  with  a  sad 
hesitation,  "  Maitre,  do  we  have  to  go  to  some  other  room  ?  I 
do  not  see  "  — 

"  No,  madame,  they  are  here  ;  but  it  is  a  sad  sight,  and  one 
which  I  could  have  spared  you  by  wrapping  up  in  my  cloak 
that  for  which  you  have  come." 

Marguerite  and  Henriette  looked  at  each  other. 

"  No,"  said  the  queen,  who  had  read  in  her  friend's  eye  the 
same  thought  as  in  her  own  ;  "  no,  show  us  the  way  and  we 
will  follow." 

Caboche  took  the  torch  and  opened  an  oaken  door  at  the  top 
of  a  short  stairway,  which  led  to  an  underground  chamber.  At 
that  instant  a  current  of  air  blew  some  sparks  from  the  torch 
arid  brought  to  the  princesses  an  ill-smelling  odor  of  dampness 
and  blood.  Henriette,  white  as  an  alabaster  statue,  leaned  on 
the  arm  of  her  less  agitated  friend ;  but  at  the  first  step  she 
swayed. 

"  I  can  never  do  it,"  said  she. 

"  When  one  loves  truly,  Henriette,"  replied  the  queen, 
"  one  loves  beyond  death." 

It  was  a  sight  both  horrible  and  touching  presented  by  the 
two  women,  glowing  with  youth,  beauty,  and  jewels,  as  they 
bent  their  heads  beneath  the  foul,  chalky  ceiling,  the  weaker 
leaning  on  the  stronger,  the  stronger  clinging  to  the  arm  of  the 
hangman. 

They  reached  the  final  step.  On  the  floor  of  the  cellar  lay 
two  human  forms  covered  with  a  wide  cloth  of  black  serge. 

Caboche  raised  a  corner  of  it,  and,  lowering  the  torch : 

"  See,  madame,"  said  he. 

In  their  black  clothes  lay  the  two  young  men,  side  by  side, 
in  the  strange  symmetry  of  death.  Their  heads  had  been 
placed  close  to  their  bodies,  from  which  they  seemed  to  be 
separated  only  by  a  bright  red  circle  about  the  neck.  Death 
had  not  disunited  their  hands,  for  either  from  chance  or  the 
kind  care  of  the  hangman  the  right  hand  of  La  Mole  rested  in 
Coconnas's  left  hand. 

There  was  a  look  of  love  under  the  lids  of  La  Mole,  and  a 
smile  of  scorn  under  those  of  Coconnas. 

Marguerite  knelt  down  by  the  side  of  her  lover,  and  with 
hands  that  sparkled  with  gems  gently  raised  the  head  she  had 
so  greatly  love. 

The  Duchesse  de  Nevers  leaned  against  the  wall,  unable  to 


MARGUERITE   IN    THE    HEADSMAN'S  TOWER. 


THE    HEADSMAN'S    TOWER.  537 

remove  her  eyes  from  that  pale  face  on  which  so  often  she  had 
gazed  for  pleasure  and  for  love. 

"  La  Mole  !  Dear  La  Mole  ! "  murmured  Marguerite. 

"  Annibal !  Annibal !  "  cried  the  duchess,  "  so  beautiful !  so 
proud  !  so  brave !  Never  again  will  you  answer  me  !  " 

And  her  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

This  woman,  so  scornful,  so  intrepid,  so  insolent  in  happi- 
ness ;  this  woman  who  carried  scepticism  as  far  as  absolute 
doubt,  passion  to  the  point  of  cruelty ;  this  woman  had  never 
thought  of  death. 

Marguerite  was  the  first  to  move. 

She  put  into  a  bag,  embroidered  with  pearls  and  perfumed 
with  finest  essences,  the  head  of  La  Mole,  more  beautiful  than 
ever  as  it  rested  against  the  velvet  and  the  gold,  and  the 
beauty  of  which  was  to  be  preserved  by  a  special  preparation, 
used  at  that  time  in  the  embalming  of  royal  personages. 

Henriette  then  drew  near  and  wrapped  the  head  of 
Coconnas  in  a  fold  of  her  cloak. 

And  both  women,  bending  beneath  their  grief  more  than 
beneath  their  burdens,  ascended  the  stairs  with  a  last  look  at 
the  remains  which  they  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  hangman  in 
that  sombre  abode  of  ordinary  criminals. 

"  Do  not  fear,  madame,"  said  Caboche,  who  understood  their 
look,  "  the  gentlemen,  I  promise  you,  shall  be  buried  in  holy 
ground." 

"  And  you  will  have  masses  said  for  them  with  this,"  said 
Henriette,  taking  from  her  neck  a  magnificent  necklace  of 
rubies,  and  handing  it  to  the  hangman. 

They  returned  to  the  Louvre  by  the  same  road  by  which 
they  had  gone.  At  the  gate  the  queen  gave  her  name ;  at 
the  foot  of  her  private  stairway  she  descended  and,  returning 
to  her  rooms,  laid  her  sad  burden  in  the  closet  adjoining  her 
sleeping-room,  destined  from  that  moment  to  become  an 
oratory.  Then,  leaving  Henriette  in  her  room,  paler  and  more 
beautiful  than  ever,  she  entered  the  great  ballroom,  the  same 
room  in  which,  two  years  and  a  half  ago,  the  first  chapter  of 
our  history  opened. 

All  eyes  were  turned  on  her,  but  she  bore  the  general  gaze 
with  a  proud  and  almost  joyous  air. 

She  had  religiously  carried  out  the  last  wish  of  her  friend. 

Seeing  her,  Charles  pushed  tremblingly  through  the  gilded 
crowd  around  her. 


538  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Sister,"  said  he,  aloud,  "  I  thank  you." 

Then  in  a  low  tone  : 

"  Take  care  !  "  said  he,  "  you  have  a  spot  of  blood  on  your 
arm." 

"  Ah  !  what  difference  does  that  make,  sire,"  said  Margue- 
rite, "  since  I  have  a  smile  on  my  lips  ?  " 


CHAPTER   LXIL 

THE    SWEAT    OF    BLOOD. 

A  FEW  days  after  the  terrible  scene  we  have  just  described, 
that  is,  on  the  30th  of  May,  1574,  while  the  court  was  at  Vin- 
cennes,  suddenly  a  great  commotion  was  heard  in  the  chamber 
of  the  King.  The  latter  had  been  taken  ill  in  the  midst  of  the 
ball  he  had  given  the  day  of  the  execution  of  the  two  young 
men,  and  had  been  ordered  by  his  physicians  into  the  pure  air 
of  the  country. 

It  was  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  A  small  group  of 
courtiers  were  talking  excitedly  in  the  antechamber,  when  sud- 
denly a  cry  was  heard,  and  Charles's  nurse  appeared  at  the 
door,  her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  calling  f ranticallv : 

«  Help  !     Help  !  " 

"  Is  his  Majesty  worse  ?  "  asked  the  Captain  de  Nancey, 
whom,  as  we  know,  the  King  had  relieved  from  all  duty  to 
Queen  Catharine  in  order  to  attach  him  to  himself. 

"  Oh !  Blood !  Blood !  "  cried  the  nurse.  "  The  doctors  ! 
call  the  doctors  !  " 

Mozille  and  Ambroise  Pare  in  turn  attended  the  august 
patient,  and  the  latter,  seeing  the  King  fall  asleep,  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  fact  to  withdraw  for  a  few  moments.  Mean- 
while a  great  perspiration  had  broken  out  all  over  the  King ; 
and  as  Charles  suffered  from  a  relaxation  of  the  capillary 
vessels,  which  caused  a  haemorrhage  of  the  skin,  the  bloody 
sweat  had  alarmed  the  nurse,  unaccustomed  to  this  strange 
phenomenon,  who,  being  a  Protestant,  kept  repeating  that  it 
was  a  judgment  for  the  blood  of  the  Huguenots  shed  in  the 
massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew. 

The  courtiers  went  in  all  directions  in  search  of  the  doctor, 
who  could  not  be  far  away,  and  whom  they  could  not  fail  to 


THE    SWEAT    OF   BLOOD.  539 

meet.  The  antechamber,  therefore,  became  deserted,  every  one 
being  anxious  to  show  his  zeal  in  bringing  the  much-needed 
physician. 

Just  then  a  door  opened  and  Catharine  appeared.  She 
passed  hurriedly  through  the  antechamber  and  hastily  entered 
the  apartment  of  her  son. 

Charles  was  stretched  on  his  bed,  his  eyes  closed,  his  breast 
heaving ;  from  his  body  oozed  a  crimson  sweat.  His  hand 
hung  over  the  bed,  and  from  the  end  of  each  finger  dropped  a 
ruby  liquid.  It  was  a  horrible  sight. 

At  the  sound  of  his  mother's  steps,  as  if  he  knew  she  was 
there,  Charles  sat  up. 

"  Pardon,  madame,"  said  he,  looking  at  her,  "  but  I  desire 
to  die  in  peace." 

"  To  die,  my  son  ?  "  said  Catharine.  "  This  is  only  a  passing 
attack  of  your  wretched  trouble.  Would  you  have  us  despair 
in  this  way  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you,  madame,  I  feel  that  my  soul  is  about  to  pass 
away.  I  tell  you,  madame,  that  death  is  near  me,  by  Heaven  ! 
I  feel  what  I  feel,  and  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about !  " 

"  Sire,"  said  the  queen,  "  your  imagination  is  your  most 
serious  trouble.  Since  the  well-merited  punishment  of  those 
two  sorcerers,  those  assassins,  La  Mole  and  Coconnas,  your 
physical  suffering  should  have  diminished.  The  mental 
trouble  alone  continues,  and  if  I  could  talk  with  you  for  just 
ten  minutes  I  could  prove  to  you  "  — 

"Nurse,"  said  Charles,  "watch  at  the  door  that  no  one  may 
enter.  Queen  Catharine  de  Medicis  wishes  to  speak  with  her 
well-loved  son  Charles  IX." 

The  nurse  withdrew. 

"  Well,"  continued  Charles,  "  this  interview  will  have  to 
take  place  some  day  or  other,  and  better  to-day  than  to-morrow. 
Besides,  to-morrow  may  be  too  late.  But  a  third  person  must 
be  present." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  Because  I  tell  you  I  am  dying,"  repeated  Charles  with 
frightful  seriousness ;  "  because  at  any  moment  death  may 
enter  this  chamber,  as  you  have  done,  pale,  silent,  and  unan- 
nounced. It  is,  therefore,  time.  Last  night  I  settled  my 
personal  affairs ;  this  morning  I  will  arrange  those  of  the 
kingdom." 


540  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  What  person  do  you  desire  to  see  ?  "    asked  Catharine. 

"  My  brother,  madame.     Have  him  summoned." 

"  Sire,"  said  the  queen,  "  I  see  with  pleasure  that  the  preju- 
dices dictated  by  hatred  rather  than  pain  are  leaving  your  mind, 
as  they  soon  will  fade  from  your  heart.  Nurse  !  "  cried  Cath- 
arine, "  nurse !  " 

The  woman,  who  was  keeping  watch  outside,  opened  the 
door. 

"  Nurse,"  said  Catharine,  "  by  order  of  my  son,  when  Mon- 
sieur de  Nancey  returns  say  to  him  to  summon  the  Due  d'Al- 
enqon." 

Charles  made  a  sign  which  detained  the  woman. 

"  I  said  my  brother,  madame,"  said  Charles. 

Catharine's  eyes  dilated  like  those  of  a  tigress  about  to 
show  her  anger.  But  Charles  raised  his  hand  imperatively. 

"  I  wish  to  speak  to  my  brother  Henry,"  said  he.  "  Henry 
alone  is  my  brother ;  not  he  who  is  king  yonder,  but  he  who 
is  a  prisoner  here.  Henry  shall  know  my  last  wishes." 

"And  do  you  think,"  exclaimed  the  Florentine,  with  unusual 
boldness  in  the  face  of  the  dread  will  of  her  son,  her  hatred 
for  the  Bearnais  being  strong  enough  to  make  her  forget  her 
customary  dissimulation,  —  "  do  you  think  that  if,  as  you  say, 
you  are  near  the  tomb,  I  will  yield  to  any  one,  especially  a 
stranger,  my  right  to  be  present  at  your  last  hour ;  my  right 
as  queen  and  mother  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  said  Charles,  "  I  am  still  King  ;  and  I  still  com- 
mand. I  tell  you  that  I  desire  to  speak  to  my  brother  Henry 
and  yet  you  do  not  summon  my  captain  of  the  guard.  A 
thousand  devils !  I  warn  you,  madame,  I  still  have  strength 
enough  to  go  for  him  myself." 

The  King  made  a  movement  as  if  to  rise  from  the  bed,  which 
brought  to  light  his  body,  bloody  like  Christ's  after  the  flog- 
ging- 

"  Sire,"  cried  Catharine,  holding  him  back,  "  you  wrong  us 
all.  You  forget  the  insults  given  to  our  family,  you  repudiate 
our  blood.  A  son  of  France  alone  should  kneel  before  the 
death-bed  of  a  King  of  France.  As  to  me,  my  place  is  marked 
out ;  it  is  here  by  the  laws  of  nature  as  well  as  the  laws  of 
royalty.  Therefore  I  shall  remain." 

"  And  by  what  right  do  you  remain,  madame  ?  "  demanded 
Charles  IX. 

"  Because  I  am  your  mother." 


THE    SWEAT    OF   BLOOD.  541 

"  You  are  no  more  my  mother,  madame,  than  is  the  Due 
d'Alenqon  my  brother." 

"  You  are  mad,  monsieur,"  said  Catharine ;  "  since  when  is 
she  who  gives  birth  to  a  child  no  longer  his  mother  ?  " 

"  From  the  moment,  madame,  when  the  unnatural  mother 
takes  away  that  which  she  gives,"  replied  Charles,  wiping 
away  a  bloody  sweat  from  his  lips. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Charles  ?  I  do  not  understand  you," 
murmured  Catharine,  gazing  at  her  son,  her  eyes  dilated  with 
astonishment. 

"  But  you  will,  madame." 

Charles  searched  under  his  pillow  and  drew  out  a  small 
silver  key. 

"  Take  this,  madame,  and  open  my  travelling-box.  It  con- 
tains certain  papers  which  will  speak  for  me." 

Charles  pointed  to  a  magnificent  carved  box,  closed  with  a 
silver  lock,  like  the  key,  which  occupied  the  most  conspicuous 
place  in  the  room. 

Catharine,  dominated  by  the  look  and  manner  of  Charles, 
obeyed,  advanced  slowly  to  the  box,  and  opened  it.  But  no 
sooner  had  she  looked  into  it  than  she  suddenly  sprang  back 
as  if  she  had  seen  some  sleeping  reptile  inside  it. 

"  Well,"  said  Charles,  who  had  not  taken  his  eyes  from  his 
mother,  "  what  is  there  in  the  box  to  startle  you,  madame  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  said  Catharine. 

"  Then  put  in  your  hand,  madame,  and  take  out  a  book  that 
is  there ;  there  is  one,  is  there  not  ?  "  added  Charles,  with  a 
pale  smile,  more  terrible  in  him  than  a  threat  in  another. 

"  Yes,"  faltered  Catharine. 

"  A  book  on  hunting  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  Take  it  out  and  bring  it  to  me." 

In  spite  of  her  assurance  Catharine  turned  pale,  and 
trembled  in  every  limb,  as  she  extended  her  hand  towards  the 
box. 

"  Fatality  !  "  she  murmured,  raising  the  book. 

"  Very  good,"  said  Charles,  "  now  listen  ;  this  book  on  hunt- 
ing —  I  loved  the  chase  madly,  above  everything  else  —  I  read 
this  book  too  eagerly,  do  you  understand,  madame  ?  " 

Catharine  gave  a  dull  moan. 

"  It  was  a  weakness,"  continued  Charles ;  "  burn  it,  madame. 
The  weakness  of  kings  and  queens  must  not  be  known  !  " 


542  MARGUERITE    DE     V A  LOIS. 

Catharine  stepped  to  the  glowing  hearth,  and  dropped  the 
book  into  the  flames. 

Then,  standing  motionless  and  silent,  she  watched  with 
haggard  eye  the  bluish  light  which  rose  from  the  poisoned 
leaves. 

As  the  book  burned  a  strong  odor  of  arsenic  spread  through 
the  room.  Soon  the  volume  was  entirely  destroyed. 

"  And  now,  madame,"  said  Charles,  with  irresistible  majesty, 
"  call  my  brother." 

Catharine,  overcome,  crushed  under  a  multiple  emotion 
which  her  profound  wisdom  could  not  analyze,  and  which  her 
almost  superhuman  strength  could  not  combat,  took  a  step 
forward  as  if  to  speak. 

The  mother  grew  remorseful ;  the  queen  was  afraid ;  the 
poisoner  felt  a  return  of  hatred. 

The  latter  sentiment  dominated. 

"  Curse  him ! "  she  cried,  rushing  from  the  room,  "  he 
triumphs,  he  gains  his  end ;  curse  him  !  curse  him  !  " 

"  You  understand,  my  brother,  my  brother  Henry,"  cried 
Charles,  calling  after  his  mother ;  "  my  brother  Henry,  with 
whom  I  wish  to  speak  instantly  regarding  the  regency  of  the 
kingdom  ! " 

Almost  at  the  same  instant  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  entered 
through  the  door  opposite  the  one  by  which  the  queen  had 
just  left,  and,  pausing  on  the  threshold,  noticed  the  peculiar 
odor  in  the  room. 

"  Who  has  been  burning  arsenic  here  ?  "  said  he. 

"  I,"  replied  Charles. 


CHAPTER   LXIII. 

THE    DONJON    OF    THE    PRISON    OF    VINCENNES. 

HENRY  OF  NAVARRE  was  strolling  dreamily  along  the  terrace 
of  the  prison.  He  knew  the  court  was  at  the  chateau,  not  a 
hundred  feet  away,  and  through  the  walls  it  seemed  as  if  his 
piercing  eye  could  picture  Charles  as  he  lay  dying. 

The  weather  was  perfect.  A  broad  band  of  sunlight  lay  on 
the  distant  fields,  bathing  in  liquid  gold  the  tops  of  the  forest 
trees,  proud  of  the  richness  of  their  first  foliage.  The  very 
stones  of  the  prison  itself,  gray  as  they  were,  seemed  impreg- 


DONJON  OF  THE  PRISON  OF  VINCENNES.      543 

nated  with  the  gentle  light  of  heaven,  and  some  flowers,  lured 
by  the  breath  of  the  east  wind,  had  pushed  through  the  crevices 
of  the  wall,  and  were  raising  their  disks  of  red  and  yellow 
velvet  to  the  kisses  of  the  warm  air. 

But  Henry's  eyes  were  fixed  neither  on  the  verdant  plains 
nor  on  the  gilded  tree  tops.  His  glance  went  beyond,  and  was 
fixed,  full  of  ambition,  on  the  capital  of  France,  destined  one 
day  to  become  the  capital  of  the  world. 

"  Paris,"  murmured  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  there  is  Paris  ; 
that  is,  joy,  triumph,  glory,  power,  and  happiness.  Paris, 
in  which  is  the  Louvre,  and  the  Louvre,  in  which  is  the  throne  ; 
and  only  one  thing  separates  me  from  this  Paris,  for  which  I 
so  long,  and  that  something  the  stones  at  my  feet,  which  shut 
me  in  with  my  enemy  !  " 

As  he  glanced  from  Paris  to  Vincennes,  he  perceived  on  his 
left,  in  a  valley,  partly  hidden  by  flowering  almond-trees,  a 
man,  whose  cuirass  sparkled  in  the  sunlight  at  its  owner's 
slightest  movement. 

This  man  rode  a  fiery  steed  and  led  another  which  seemed 
no  less  impatient. 

The  King  of  Navarre  fixed  his  eyes  on  this  cavalier  and  saw 
him  draw  his  sword  from  his  sheath,  place  his  handkerchief 
on  the  point,  and  wave  it  like  a  signal. 

At  the  same  instant  the  signal  was  repeated  from  the  op- 
posite hill,  then  all  around  the  chateau  a  belt  of  handker- 
chiefs seemed  to  flutter. 

It  was  De  Mouy  and  his  Huguenots,  who,  knowing  the  King 
was  dying,  and  fearing  that  some  attempt  might  be  made  on 
Henry's  life,  had  gathered  together,  ready  to  defend  or  attack. 

Henry,  with  his  eyes  still  on  the  horseman  he  had  seen  first, 
bent  over  the  balustrade,  and  shading  his  eyes  with  his  hand 
to  keep  out  the  dazzling  rays  of  the  sun,  recognized  the  young 
Huguenot. 

"  De  Mouy ! "  he  exclaimed,  as  though  the  latter  could  hear 
him. 

And  in  his  joy  at  seeing  himself  surrounded  by  friends,  the 
king  raised  his  hat  and  waved  his  scarf. 

All  the  white  banners  were  again  set  in  motion  with  an 
energy  which  proved  the  joy  of  their  owners. 

"  Alas !  they  are  waiting  for  me,"  said  Henry,  "  and  I  can- 
not join  them.  Why  did  I  not  do  so  when  I  could  ?  Now  it  is 
too  late  ! " 


544  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

He  made  a  despairing  gesture,  to  which  De  Mouy  returned 
a  sign  which  meant,  "  I  will  wait." 

Just  then  Henry  heard  steps  on  the  stone  stairs.  He 
hastily  withdrew.  The  Huguenots  understood  the  cause  of 
his  sudden  disappearance,  and  their  swords  were  returned  to 
their  sheaths  and  their  handkerchiefs  disappeared. 

Henry  saw  on  the  stairs  a  woman  whose  quick  breathing 
showed  that  she  had  come  in  haste. 

He  recognized,  riot  without  the  secret  dread  he  always  felt 
on  seeing  her,  Catharine  de  Medicis. 

Behind  her  were  two  guards  who  stopped  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs. 

"  Oh  ! "  thought  Henry,  "  it  must  be  something  new  and 
important  that  makes  the  queen  mother  come  to  seek  me  on 
the  balcony  of  the  prison  of  Vincennes. 

Catharine  seated  herself  on  a  stone  bench  against  the  battle- 
ment to  recover  her  breath. 

Henry  approached  her,  and  with  his  most  gracious  smile  : 

"  Are  you  seeking  me,  my  good  mother  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monsieur,"  replied  Catharine,  "  I  wish  to  give  you  a 
final  proof  of  my  attachment.  The  King  is  dying  and  wishes 
to  see  you." 

"  Me !  "  said  Henry,  with  a  start  of  joy. 

"  Yes.  He  has  been  told,  I  am  sure,  that  not  only  do  you 
covet  the  throne  of  Navarre  but  that  of  France  as  well." 

"  Oh  ! "  exclaimed  Henry. 

"  It  is  not  true,  I  know,  but  he  believes  it,  and  no  doubt  the 
object  of  the  interview  he  wishes  with  you  is  to  lay  a  snare 
for  you." 

«  For  me  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Before  dying  Charles  wants  to  know  what  there  is 
to  hope  or  fear  from  you.  And  on  your  answer  to  his  offer, 
mark  you,  will  depend  his  final  commands,  that  is,  your  life 
or  death." 

"  But  what  will  he  offer  me  ?  " 

"  How  do  I  know  ?     Impossibilities,  probably." 

"  But  have  you  no  idea  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  suppose  for  instance  "  — 

Catharine  paused. 

«  What." 

"  Suppose  he  credited  you  with  these  ambitious  aims  of 
yours  he  has  heard  about;  suppose  he  should  wish  to  hear 


DONJOX  OF   THE  PRISON  OF   VINCENNES.      545 

these  aims  from  your  own  lips ;  suppose  he  should  tempt  you 
as  once  they  used  to  tempt  the  guilty  in  order  to  provoke  a 
confession  without  torture;  suppose,"  continued  Catharine, 
looking  fixedly  at  Henry,  "  he  were  to  offer  you  a  kingdom, 
the  regency !  " 

A  thrill  of  indescribable  joy  pervaded  Henry's  weary  heart, 
but  he  guessed  the  snare  and  his  strong  and  supple  soul  re- 
bounded. 

•<  Me  ?  "  said  he ;  "  the  snare  would  be  too  palpable ;  offer 
me  the  regency  when  there  is  you  yourself  and  my  brother 
D'Aleiiqon  ?  " 

Catharine  compressed  her  lips  to  conceal  her  satisfaction. 

"  Then,"  said  she,  quickly,  "you  would  refuse  it  ?  " 

"  The  King  is  dead,"  thought  Henry,  "  and  she  is  laying  a 
trap  for  me." 

Aloud,  he  said : 

"  I  must  first  hear  what  the  King  of  France  has  to  say ;  for 
from  your  own  words,  madame,  all  this  is  mere  supposition." 

"  Doubtless,"  said  Catharine ;  "  but  you  can  tell  me  your 
intentions." 

"  Why  !  "  said  Henry,  innocently,  "  having  no  pretensions, 
I  have  no  intentions." 

"  That  is  no  answer,"  said  Catharine,  feeling  that  time  was 
flying,  and  giving  way  to  her  anger;  "you  can  give  some 
answer." 

"  I  cannot  answer  suppositions,  madame ;  a  positive  resolu- 
tion is  so  difficult  and  so  grave  a  thing  to  assume  that  I  must 
wait  for  facts." 

"  Listen,  monsieur,"  said  Catharine ;  "  there  is  no  time  to 
lose,  and  we  are  Avasting  it  in  vain  discussion,  in  toying  with 
words.  Let  us  play  our  role  of  king  and  queen.  If  you 
accept  the  regency  you  are  a  dead  man." 

"  The  King  lives,"  thought  Henry. 

Then  aloud  : 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  firmly,  "  God  holds  the  lives  of  men 
and  of  kings  in  his  hands.  He  will  inspire  me.  Let  his 
Majesty  be  informed  that  I  am  ready  to  see  him." 

"  Reflect,  monsieur." 

"  During  the  two  years  in  which  I  have  been  persecuted, 
during  the  month  I  have  been  a  prisoner,"  replied  Henry, 
bravely,  "  I  have  had  time  to  reflect,  madame,  and  I  have  re- 
flected. Have  the  goodness,  therefore,  to  go  to  the  King  before 


546  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

me,  and  to  tell  him  that  I  am  following  you.  These  two 
guards,"  added  Henry,  pointing  to  the  soldiers,  "  will  see  that 
I  do  not  escape.  Moreover,  that  is  not  my  intention." 

There  was  such  firmness  in  Henry's  tone  that  Catharine 
saw  that  all  her  attempts,  under  whatever  disguise,  would  not 
succeed.  Therefore  she  hastily  descended. 

As  soon  as  she  had  disappeared  Henry  went  to  the  parapet 
and  made  a  sign  to  De  Mouy,  which  meant :  "  Draw  near  and 
be  ready  in  case  of  necessity." 

De  Mouy,  who  had  dismounted,  sprang  into  the  saddle, 
and  still  leading  the  second  horse  galloped  to  within  musket- 
shot  of  the  prison. 

Henry  thanked  him  by  a  gesture,  and  descended. 

On  the  first  landing  he  found  the  two  soldiers  who  were 
waiting  for  him. 

A  double  troop  of  Swiss  and  light-horse  guarded  the 
entrance  to  the  court,  and  to  enter  or  leave  the  chateau  it  was 
necessary  to  traverse  a  double  line  of  halberds. 

Catharine  had  stopped  and  was  waiting  for  him. 

She  signed  to  the  two  soldiers  to  go  on,  and  laying  her 
hand  on  Henry's  arm,  said  : 

"This  court  has  two  gates.  At  one,  behind  the  apart- 
ments of  the  King,  if  you  refuse  the  regency,  a  good  horse  and 
freedom  await  you.  At  the  other,  through  which  you  have  just 
passed,  if  you  listen  to  the  voice  of  ambition  —  What  do  you 
say?" 

"  I  say  that  if  the  King  makes  me  regent,  madame,  I,  and 
not  you,  shall  give  orders  to  the  soldiers.  I  say  that  if  I  leave 
the  castle  at  night,  all  these  pikes,  halberds,  and  muskets  shall 
be  lowered  before  me." 

"  Madman !  "  murmured  Catharine,  exasperated,  "believe  me, 
and  do  not  play  this  terrible  game  of  life  and  death  with  me." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  Henry,  looking  closely  at  Catharine  ; 
"  why  not  with  you  as  well  as  with  another,  since  up  to  this 
time  I  have  won  ?  " 

"  Go  to  the  King's  apartments,  monsieur,  since  you  are 
unwilling  to  believe  or  listen  to  anything,"  said  Catharine, 
pointing  to  the  stairway  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other 
toying  with  one  of  the  two  poisoned  daggers  she  always  wore 
in  the  black  shagreen  case,  which  has  become  historical. 

"  Pass  before  me,  madame,"  said  Henry ;  "  so  long  as  I  am 
not  regent,  the  honor  of  precedence  belongs  to  you." 


THE    REGENCY.  547 

Catharine,  thwarted    in  all    her  plans,  did    not  attempt  to 
struggle,  but  ascended  the  stairs  ahead  of  the  King  of  Navarre. 


CHAPTER  LXIV. 

THE    REGENCY. 

THE  King,  beginning  to  grow  impatient,  had  summoned 
Monsieur  deNancey  to  his  room,  and  had  just  given  him  orders 
to  go  in  search  of  Henry,  when  the  latter  appeared. 

On  seeing  his  brother-in-law  at  the  door  Charles  uttered  a 
cry  of  joy,  but  Henry  stood  motionless,  as  startled  as  if  he  had 
come  face  to  face  with  a  corpse. 

The  two  physicians  who  were  at  the  bedside  and  the  priest 
who  had  been  with  Charles  withdrew. 

Charles  was  not  loved,  and  yet  many  were  weeping  in  the 
antechambers.  At  the  death  of  kings,  good  or  bad,  there  are 
always  persons  who  lose  something  and  who  fear  they  will  not 
find  it  again  under  the  successor. 

The  mourning,  the  sobbing,  the  words  of  Catharine,  the  sin- 
ister and  majestic  surroundings  of  the  last  moments  of  a  king, 
the  sight  of  the  King  himself,  suffering  from  a  malady  common 
enough  afterwards,  but  which,  at  that  time,  was  new  to  science, 
produced  on  Henry's  mind,  which  was  still  youthful  and  con- 
sequently still  susceptible,  such  a  terrible  impression  that  in 
spite  of  his  determination  not  to  cause  Charles  fresh  anxiety 
as  to  his  condition,  he  could  not  as  we  have  said  repress  the 
feeling  of  terror  which  came  to  his  face  on  perceiving  the 
dying  man  dripping  with  blood. 

Charles  smiled  sadly.  Nothing  of  those  around  them  es- 
capes the  dying. 

"  Come,  Henriot,"  said  he,  extending  his  hand  with  a  gentle- 
ness of  voice  Henry  had  never  before  noticed  in  him.  "  Come 
in ;  I  have  been  very  unhappy  at  not  seeing  you  for  so  long. 
I  have  tormented  you  greatly  during  my  life,  my  poor  friend, 
and  sometimes,  believe  me,  I  have  reproached  myself  for  it. 
Sometimes  I  have  taken  the  hands  of  those  who  tormented 
you,  it  is  true,  but  a  king  cannot  control  circumstances,  and 
besides  my  mother  Catharine,  my  brothers  lyAnjou  and  D'Alen- 
qon,  I  had  to  consider  during  my  lifetime  something  else  which 


548  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

was  troublesome  and  which  ceases  the  moment  I  draw  near  to 
death  —  state  policy." 

"  Sire,"  murmured  Henry,  "  I  remember  only  the  love  I 
have  always  had  for  my  brother,  the  respect  I  have  always 
felt  for  my  King." 

"  Yes,  yes,  you  are  right,"  said  Charles,  "  and  I  am  grateful 
to  you  for  saying  this,  Henriot,  for  truly  you  have  suffered  a 
great  deal  under  my  reign  without  counting  the  fact  that  it 
was  during  my  reign  that  your  poor  mother  died.  But  you 
must  have  seen  that  I  was  often  driven  ?  Sometimes  I  have 
resisted,  but  oftener  I  have  yielded  from  very  fatigue.  But, 
as  you  said,  let  us  not  talk  of  the  past.  Now  it  is  the  present 
which  concerns  me ;  it  is  the  future  which  frightens  me." 

And  the  poor  King  hid  his  livid  face  in  his  emaciated  hands. 

After  a  moment's  silence  he  shook  his  head  as  if  to  drive 
away  all  gloomy  thoughts,  thus  causing  a  shower  of  blood  to 
fall  about  him. 

"  We  must  save  the  state,"  he  continued  in  a  low  tone,  lean- 
ing towards  Henry.  "  We  must  prevent  its  falling  into  the 
hands  of  fanatics  or  women." 

As  we  have  just  said,  Charles  uttered  these  words  in  a 
low  tone,  yet  Henry  thought  he  heard  behind  the  headboard 
something  like  a  dull  exclamation  of  anger.  Perhaps  some 
opening  made  in  the  wall  at  the  instigation  of  Charles  himself 
permitted  Catharine  to  hear  this  final  conversation. 

"  Of  women  ? "  said  the  King  of  Navarre  to  provoke  an 
explanation. 

"Yes,  Henry,"  said  Charles,  "my  mother  wishes  the  regency 
until  my  brother  returns  from  Poland.  But  mind  what  I  tell 
you,  he  will  not  come  back." 

"  Why  not  ?"    cried  Henry,  whose  heart  gave  a  joyful  leap. 

"  No,  he  cannot  return,"  continued  Charles,  "  because  his 
subjects  will  not  let  him  leave." 

"  But,"  said  Henry,  "  do  you  not  suppose,  brother,  that  the 
queen  mother  has  already  written  to  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  Nancey  stopped  the  courier  at  Chateau  Thierry, 
and  brought  me  the  letter,  in  which  she  said  I  was  to  die.  I 
wrote  to  Varsovia  myself,  my  letter  reached  there,  I  am  sure, 
and  my  brother  will  be  watched.  So,  in  all  probability, 
Henry,  the  throne  will  be  vacant." 

A  second  sound  louder  than  the  first  was  heard  in  the  alcove. 

"  She  is  surely  there,"  thought  Henry,  "  and  is  listening." 


THE    REGENCY.  549 

Charles  heard  nothing. 

"  Now,"  he  continued,  "  I  am  dying  without  male  heir." 
Then  he  stopped.  A  sweet  thought  seemed  to  light  up  his 
face,  and,  laying  his  hand  on  the  King  of  Navarre's  shoulder  : 

"  Alas  !  "  said  he,  "  do  you  remember,  Henriot,  the  poor  little 
boy  I  showed  you  one  evening  sleeping  in  his  silken  cradle, 
watched  over  by  an  angel  ?  Alas  !  Henriot,  they  will  kill 
him ! " 

"  Oh,  sire !  "  cried  Henry,  whose  eyes  filled  with  tears,  "  I 
swear  to  you  that  I  will  watch  over  him  all  the  days  and  nights 
of  my  life.  Command  me,  my  King." 

"  Thanks,  Henriot,  thanks ! "  said  Charles,  with  a  show  of 
feeling  unusual  in  him,  but  which  the  situation  had  roused, 
"  I  accept  your  promise.  Do  not  make  him  a  king,  —  fortu- 
nately he  was  not  born  for  a  throne,  —  but  make  him  happy. 
I  have  left  him  an  independent  fortune.  Let  him  inherit  his 
mother's  nobility,  that  of  the  heart.  Perhaps  it  would  be  bet- 
ter for  him  if  he  were  to  enter  the  church.  He  would  inspire 
less  fear.  Oh !  it  seems  to  me  that  I  should  die,  if  not  happy, 
at  least  calm,  if  I  had  the  kisses  of  the  child  and  the  sweet 
face  of  its  mother  to  console  me." 

"  Sire,  could  you  not  send  for  them  ?  " 

"  Ah,  poor  wretches  !  They  would  never  be  allowed  to  leave 
the  Louvre !  Such  is  the  condition  of  kings,  Henriot.  They 
can  neither  live  nor  die  as  they  please.  But  since  you  prom- 
ise I  am  more  resigned." 

Henry  reflected. 

"  Yes,  no  doubt,  my  King.  I  have  promised,  but  can  I 
keep  my  word  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Shall  I  not  be  persecuted,  and  threatened  like  him,  even 
more  than  him  ?  For  I  am  a  man,  and  he  is  only  a  child." 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  said  Charles  ;  "  after  my  death  you 
shall  be  great  and  powerful.  Here  is  what  will  make  you  so." 

And  the  King  drew  a  parchment  from  under  the  pillow. 

"  See ! "  said  he. 

Henry  glanced  over  the  document  sealed  with  the  royal  seal. 

"  The  regency  for  me,  sire !  "  said  he,  growing  pale  with  joy. 

"  Yes,  for  you,  until  the  return  of  the  Due  d'Anjou,  and  as 
in  all  probability  the  duke  will  never  return  it  is  not  the  re- 
gency only  but  the  throne  that  this  gives  you." 

"  The  throne  !  "  murmured  Henry. 


550  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  "  you  alone  are  worthy  of  it ;  you 
alone  are  capable  of  governing  these  debauched  gallants,  and 
these  bold  women  who  live  by  blood  and  tears.  My  brother 
D'Alenqon  is  a  traitor,  and  would  deceive  every  one.  Leave 
him  in  the  prison  in  which  I  have  placed  him.  My  mother 
will  try  to  kill  you,  therefore  banish  her.  My  brother  D'Anjou 
in  three  or  four  months,  perhaps  in  a  year,  will  leave  Varsovia 
and  will  come  to  dispute  the  throne  with  you.  Answer  him 
by  a  bull  from  the  pope.  I  have  already  arranged  that  matter 
through  my  ambassador,  the  Due  de  Nevers,  and  you  will 
receive  the'  document  before  long." 

«  Oh,  my  King  !  " 

"  You  have  but  one  thing  to  fear,  Henry,  —  civil  war ;  but 
by  remaining  converted  you  will  avoid  this,  for  the  Huguenots 
are  strong  only  when  you  put  yourself  at  their  head,  and 
Monsieur  de  Conde  is  nothing  when  opposed  to  you.  France 
is  a  country  of  plains,  Henry,  and  consequently  a  Catholic 
country.  The  King  of  France  ought  to  be  the  king  of  the 
Catholics  and  not  the  king  of  the  Huguenots,  for  the  King  of- 
France  ought  to  be  the  king  of  the  majority.  It  is  said  I  feel 
remorse  for  the  massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew  ;  doubts,  yes ; 
remorse,  no.  It  is  said  I  am  bleeding  the  blood  of  those 
Huguenots  from  every  pore.  I  know  what  is  flowing  from 
me.  It  is  arsenic  and  not  blood." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sire  ?  " 

"  Nothing.  If  my  death  must  be  avenged,  Henriot,  it  must 
be  avenged  by  God  alone.  Let  us  speak  now  of  the  future. 
I  leave  you  a  faithful  parliament  and  a  trusty  army.  Lean  on 
them  and  they  will  protect  you  against  your  only  enemies  — 
my  mother  and  the  Due  d'Alemjon." 

Just  then  the  sound  of  arms  and  military  commands  were 
heard  in  the  vestibule. 

"  I  am  dead  !  "  murmured  Henry. 

"  You  fear  ?     You  hesitate  ?  "  said  Charles,  anxiously. 

"  I !  sire,"  replied  Henry ;  "  no,  I  do  not  fear,  nor  do  I 
hesitate.  I  accept." 

Charles  pressed  Henry's  hand.  At  that  moment  the  nurse 
approached  with  a  drink  she  had  been  preparing  in  the  adjoin- 
ing room,  not  knowing  that  the  fate  of  France  was  being  de- 
cided three  feet  from  her. 

"  Call  my  mother,  nurse,  and  have  Monsieur  d'Alengon  also 
summoned." 


THE  KING  IS  DEAD!    LONG  LIVE   THE  KING!     551 
CHAPTER  LXV. 

THE    KING    IS    DEAD  !       LONG    LIVE    THE    KING  ! 

A  FEW  moments  later  Catharine  and  the  Due  d'Alenqon,  pale 
with  fright  and  trembling  with  rage,  entered  Charles's  room. 
As  Henry  had  conjectured,  Catharine  had  overheard  every- 
thing and  in  a  few  words  had  told  all  to  Francois. 

Henry  was  standing  at  the  head  of  Charles's  bed. 

The  King  spoke  his  wishes : 

"  Madame,"  said  he  to  his  mother,  "  had  I  a  son,  you  would 
be  regent,  or  in  default  of  you  it  would  be  the  King  of  Poland ; 
or  in  default  of  him  it  would  be  my  brother  Francois ;  but  I  have 
no  son,  and  after  me  the  throne  belongs  to  my  brother  the 
Due  d'Anjou,  who  is  absent.  As  some  day  he  will  claim  this 
throne  I  do  not  wish  him  to  find  in  his  place  a  man  who  by 
almost  equal  rights  might  dispute  it  with  him,  and  who  conse- 
quently might  expose  the  kingdom  to  civil  war.  This  is  why 
I  do  not  appoint  you  regent,  madame,  for  you  would  have  to 
choose  between  your  two  sons,  which  would  be  painful  for  a 
mother.  This  is  why  I  do  not  choose  my  brother  Franqois,  for 
he  might  say  to  his  elder  brother,  '  You  had  a  throne,  why  did 
you  leave  it  ? '  No,  I  have  chosen  as  regent  one  who  can 
take  the  crown  on  trust,  and  who  will  keep  it  in  his  hand  and 
not  on  his  head.  Salute  this  regent,  madame;  salute  him, 
brother ;  it  is  the  King  of  Navarre  ! " 

And  with  a  gesture  of  supreme  authority  the  King  himself 
saluted  Henry. 

Catharine  and  D'Alenqon  made  a  gesture  between  a  nervous 
shudder  and  a  salute. 

"  Here,  my  Lord  Regent,"  said  Charles  to  the  King  of  Na- 
varre, "  here  is  the  parchment  which,  until  the  return  of  the 
King  of  Poland,  gives  you  the  command  of  the  armies,  the  keys 
of  the  treasury,  and  the  royal  power  and  authority." 

Catharine  devoured  Henry  with  her  eyes  ;  Francois  swayed 
so  that  he  could  scarcely  stand;  but  this  weakness  of  the 
one  and  strength  of  the  other,  instead  of  encouraging  Henry, 
showed  him  the  danger  which  threatened  him. 

Nevertheless  he  made  a  violent  effort  and  overcoming  his 
fears  took  the  parchment  from  the  hands  of  the  King, 


552  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

raised  himself  to  his  full  height,  and  gave  Catharine  and 
FranQois  a  look  which  meant : 

"  Take  care  !  I  am  your  master." 

"No,"  said  she,  "  never  ;  never  shall  my  race  bow  to  a  for- 
eign one ;  never  shall  a  Bourbon  reign  in  France  while  a 
Valois  remains !  " 

"  Mother,"  cried  Charles  IX.,  sitting  up  among  the  crimson 
sheets  of  his  bed,  more  frightful  looking  than  ever,  "  take  care, 
I  am  still  King.  Not  for  long,  I  well  know  ;  but  it  does  not 
take  long  to  give  an  order ;  it  does  not  take  long  to  punish 
murderers  and  poisoners." 

"  Well !  give  the  order,  if  you  dare,  and  I  will  give  mine ! 
Come,  Francois,  come  ! " 

And  the  queen  left  the  room  rapidly,  followed  by  the  Due 
d'Alengon. 

"  Nancey  ! "  cried  Charles  ;  "  Nancey  !  come  here  !  I  order 
you,  Nancey,  to  arrest  my  mother,  and  my  brother,  arrest" 

A  stream  of  blood  choked  his  utterance,  just  as  the  captain 
of  the  guards  opened  the  door,  and,  almost  suffocated,  the  King 
fell  back  on  his  bed.  Nancey  had  heard  only  his  name ; 
the  orders  which  followed,  and  which  had  been  uttered  in  a 
less  audible  tone,  were  lost  in  space. 

"  Guard  the  door,"  said  Henry,  "  and  let  no  one  enter." 

Nancey  bowed  and  withdrew. 

Henry  looked  at  the  almost  lifeless  body,  which  already 
would  have  seemed  like  that  of  a  corpse  had  not  a  light 
breath  stirred  the  fringe  of  foam  on  the  lips. 

Henry  looked  for  several  moments,  then,  speaking  to  him- 
self : 

"  The  final  moment  has  come  !  "  said  he ;  "  shall  I  reign  ? 
shall  I  live  ?  " 

Just  then  the  tapestry  of  the  alcove  was  raised,  a  pale  face 
appeared  behind  it,  and  a  voice  vibrated  through  the  silence  of 
death  which  reigned  throughout  the  royal  chamber. 

"  Live  ! "  said  this  voice. 

"  Rene  !  "  cried  Henry. 

"Yes,  sire." 

"  Your  prediction  was  false,  then  ;  I  shall  not  be  king  ?  " 

"  You  shall  be,  sire  ;  but  the  time  has  not  yet  come." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  Speak,  that  I  may  know  if  I  may 
believe  you." 

"  Listen." 


THE  KING  IS  DEAD!     LONG  LIVE   THE  KING!     553 

"Well?" 

"  Stoop  down." 

Henry  leaned  over  Charles.  Rene  did  the  same.  They 
were  separated  by  the  width  of  the  bed  alone,  and  even  this 
distance  was  lessened  by  their  positions.  Between  them,  silent 
and  motionless,  lay  the  dying  King. 

"  Listen,"  said  Rene ;  "  placed  here  by  the  queen  mother 
to  ruin  you,  I  prefer  to  serve  you,  for  I  have  faith  in  your 
horoscope.  By  serving  you  I  shall  profit  both  in  body  and 
soul." 

"  Did  the  queen  mother  command  you  to  say  this  also  ?  " 
asked  Henry,  full  of  doubt  and  pain. 

"  No,"  said  Rene  ;  "but  I  will  tell  you  a  secret." 

He  leaned  still  further  over. 

Henry  did  likewise,  so  that  their  heads  almost  touched. 

This  interview  between  two  men  bending  over  the  body  of  a 
dying  king  was  so  sombre  that  the  hair  of  the  superstitious 
Florentine  rose  on  end,  and  Henry's  face  became  covered  with 
perspiration. 

"  Listen,"  continued  Re'ne',  "  I  will  tell  you  a  secret  known 
only  to  me.  I  will  reveal  it  to  you  if  you  will  swear  over  this 
dying  man  to  forgive  me  for  the  death  of  your  mother." 

"  I  have  already  promised  you  this,"  said  Henry,  with  dark- 
ening brow. 

"  You  promised,  but  you  did  not  swear,"  said  Rene,  drawing 
back. 

"  I  swear  it,"  said  Henry,  raising  his  right  hand  over  the 
head  of  the  King. 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  the  Florentine,  hastily,  "  the  King  of 
Poland  will  soon  arrive  !  " 

"  No,"  said  Henry,  "  the  messenger  was  stopped  by  King 
Charles." 

"  King  Charles  intercepted  only  the  one  on  the  road  to 
Chateau  Thierry.  But  the  queen  mother  wisely  sent  couriers 
by  three  different  routes." 

"  Oh  !  I  am  lost ! "  exclaimed  Henry. 

"  A  messenger  arrived  this  morning  from  Varsovia.  The 
king  left  after  him  without  any  one's  thinking  of  opposing, 
him,  for  at  Varsovia  the  illness  of  the  King  of  France  was  not 
yet  known.  This  courier  only  preceded  Henry  of  Anjou  by  a 
few  hours." 

"  Oh  !  had  I  but  eight  days !  "  cried  Henry. 


554  MARGUERITE    DE    V A  LOIS. 

"  Yes,  but  you  have  not  eight  hours.  Did  you  hear  the  noise 
of  arms  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  They  are  making  ready  to  kill  you.  They  will  seek  you 
even  here  in  the  apartment  of  the  King." 

"  The  King  is  not  yet  dead." 

Rene  looked  closely  at  Charles. 

"  He  will  be  in  ten  minutes ;  you  have  ten  minutes  to  live, 
therefore ;  perhaps  less." 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  Flee  instantly,  without  delaying  a  minute,  a  second." 

"  But  how  ?  If  they  are  waiting  in  the  antechamber  they 
will  kill  me  as  I  go  out." 

"  Listen  !  I  will  risk  everything  for  you.  Never  forget 
this." 

"  Fear  not." 

"  Follow  me  by  the  secret  corridor.  I  will  lead  you  to  the 
postern.  Then,  to  gain  time,  I  will  tell  the  queen  mother  that 
you  are  coming  down  ;  you  will  be  seen  to  have  discovered 
this  secret  passage,  and  to  have  profited  by  it  to  escape.  Flee  ! 
Flee ! " 

"  Nurse  ! "  murmured  Charles,  "  nurse  !  " 

Henry  took  from  the  bed  Charles's  sword,  of  no  further  use 
to  the  dying  King,  put  the  parchment  which  made  him  regent 
in  his  breast,  kissed  Charles's  brow  for  the  last  time,  and  turn- 
ing away  hurried  through  the  door,  which  closed  behind  him. 

"  Nurse  ! "  cried  the  King,  in  a  stronger  voice,  "  nurse  !  " 

The  woman  ran  to  him. 

"  What  is  it.  Chariot  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Nurse,"  said  the  King,  his  eye  dilated  by  the  terrible  fixity 
of  death,  "something  must  have  happened  while  I  slept.  I 
see  a  great  light.  I  see  God,  our  Master,  I  see  Jesus,  and  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  They  are  praying  and  interceding  for 
me.  The  all-powerful  Lord  pardons  me  —  calls  to  me  —  My 
God  !  my  God  !  In  thy  mercy,  receive  me  !  My  God  !  forget 
that  I  have  been  King,  for  I  come  to  you  without  sceptre  or 
crown.  My  God  !  forget  the  crimes  of  the  King,  and  remem- 
ber only  the  suffering  of  the  man.  My  God,  I  come  ! " 

And  Charles,  who  as  he  spoke  had  risen  more  and  more  as 
if  to  go  to  the  One  who  was  calling  him,  after  uttering  these 
words  heaved  a  sigh  and  fell  back  still  and  cold  in  the  arms 
of  his  nurse. 


THE  KING  IS  DEAD!     LONG  LIVE   THE  KING!     555 

Meantime,  while  the  soldiers,  commanded  by  Catharine,  were 
beginning  to  fill  the  main  corridor  in  which  they  expected 
Henry  to  appear,  the  latter,  guided  by  Rene",  passed  along  the 
secret  passage  and  reached  the  postern,  sprang  on  the  horse 
which  was  waiting  for  him,  and  galloped  to  the  place  where  he 
knew  he  would  find  De  Mouy. 

Hearing  the  sound  of  the  horse's  hoofs,  the  galloping  of  which 
fell  on  the  hard  pavement,  some  sentinels  turned  and  cried : 

"  He  flees  !     He  flees  ! " 

"  Who  ?  "  cried  the  queen  mother,  stepping  to  a  window. 

"  The  King  of  Navarre  !  "  cried  the  sentinels. 

"  Fire  on  him  !     Fire  !  "  cried  Catharine. 

The  sentinels  levelled  their  muskets,  but  Henry  was  already 
too  far  away. 

"  He  flees ! "  cried  the  queen  mother ;  "  then  he  is  van- 
quished ! " 

"  He  flees  !  "  murmured  the  Due  d'Alemjon ;  "  then  I  am 
king ! " 

At  that  instant,  while  Francois  and  his  mother  were  still 
before  the  window,  the  drawbridge  thundered  under  horses' 
hoofs  and  preceded  by  a  clanking  of  arms  and  great  noise  a 
young  man  galloped  up,  his  hat  in  his  hand,  shouting  as  he 
entered  the  court :  "  France  ! "  He  was  followed  by  four 
gentlemen,  covered  like  himself  with  perspiration,  dust,  and 
foam. 

"  My  son  !  "  exclaimed  Catharine,  extending  both  arms  out 
of  the  window. 

"  Mother ! "  replied  the  young  man,  springing  from  his 
steed. 

"  My  brother  D'Anjou  ! "  cried  Francois,  stepping  back  in 
amazement. 

"  Am  I  too  late  ?  "  asked  Henry  d'Anjou. 

"  No,  just  in  time,  and  God  must  have  guided  you,  for  you 
could  not  have  arrived  at  a  better  moment.  Look  and 
listen !  " 

Monsieur  de  Nancey,  captain  of  the  guards,  had  come  out 
upon  the  balcony  from  the  chamber  of  the  King. 

All  eyes  were  turne.d  towards  him. 

Breaking  a  wand  in  two,  with  arms  extended,  he  took  a 
piece  in  either  hand  and  cried  three  times  : 

"  King  Charles  IX.  is  dead !  King  Charles  IX.  is  dead ! 
King  Charles  IX.  is  dead !  " 


556  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOfS. 

Then  he  dropped  the  pieces  of  the  wand. 

"  Long  live  King  Henry  III.  ! "  shouted  Catharine,  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross.  "  Long  live  King  Henry  III.  ! " 

All  took  up  the  cry  except  Due  Franqois. 

"  Ah,  she  has  betrayed  ine !  "  murmured  he,  digging  his 
nails  into  his  breast. 

"  I  have  won,"  cried  Catharine,  "  and  that  hateful  Bearnais 
will  not  reign  !  " 


CHAPTER   LXVI. 

EPILOGUE. 

ONE  year  had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  Charles  IX.  and  the 
accession  of  his  successor  to  the  throne. 

King  Henry  III.,  happily  reigning  by  the  grace  of  God  and 
his  mother  Catharine,  was  attending  a  fine  procession  given  in 
honor  of  Notre  Dame  de  Clery. 

He  had  gone  on  foot  with  the  queen,  his  wife,  and  all  the  court. 

King  Henry  III.  could  well  afford  this  little  pastime,  for  no 
serious  business  occupied  him  for  the  moment.  The  King  of 
Navarre  was  in  Navarre,  where  he  had  so  long  desired  to  be, 
and  where  he  was  said  to  be  very  much  taken  up  with  a  beau- 
tiful girl  of  the  blood  of  the  Montmorencies  whom  he  called 
La  Fosseuse.  Marguerite  was  with  him,  sad  and  gloomy,  find- 
ing in  the  beautiful  mountains  not  distraction  but  a  softening 
of  the  two  greatest  griefs  of  life,  —  absence  and  death. 

Paris  was  very  quiet  and  the  queen  mother,  really  regent 
since  her  dear  son  Henry  had  been  King,  resided  sometimes 
at  the  Louvre,  sometimes  at  the  Hotel  de  Soissons,  which 
occupied  the  site  to-day  covered  by  the  Halle  au  Ble,  of  which 
nothing  remains  beyond  the  beautiful  column  which  is  still 
standing. 

One  evening  when  she  was  deeply  engaged  in  studying  the 
stars  with  Rene,  of  whose  little  act  of  treason  she  was  still 
ignorant,  and  who  had  been  reinstated  in  her  favor  after  the 
false  testimony  he  had  so  opportunely  given  at  the  trial  of 
Coconnas  and  La  Mole,  she  was  informed  that  a  man  waited 
for  her  in  her  oratory  with  something  to  tell  her  of  the  great- 
est importance. 

Hastily  descending,  the  queen  found  the  Sire  de  Maurevel. 


EPILOGUE.  557 

"He  is  here !  "  cried  the  ancient  captain  of  the  guards,  not 
giving  Catharine  time  to  address  him,  according  to  royal 
etiquette. 

"  What  he  ?  "  demanded  Catharine. 

"  Who  but  the  King  of  Navarre,  madame  !  " 

"  Here  !  "  said  Catharine,  "  here  !  He  —  Henry  —  And 
what  has  he  come  for,  the  madman  ?  " 

"  If  appearances  are  to  be  believed,  he  comes  to  see  Madame 
de  Sauve.  That  is  all.  If  probabilities  are  to  be  considered, 
he  comes  to  conspire  against  the  King." 

"  How  do  you  know  he  is  here  ?  " 

"  Yesterday  I  saw  him  enter  a  house,  and  an  instant  later 
Madame  de  Sauve  joined  him  there." 

"  Are  you  sure  it  was  he  ?  " 

"  I  waited  until  he  came  out,  that  is,  part  of  the  night.  At 
three  o'clock  the  two  lovers  appeared.  The  king  led  Madame 
de  Sauve  as  far  as  the  gate  of  the  Louvre,  where,  thanks  to  the 
porter,  who  no  doubt  is  in  her  pay,  she  was  admitted  without 
opposition,  and  the  king  returned,  humming  a  tune,  and  with 
a  step  as  free  as  if  he  were  among  his  own  mountains." 

"  Where  did  he  go  then  ?  " 

"  To  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec,  Hotel  de  la  Belle  £toile,  the 
same  inn  in  which  the  two  sorcerers  used  to  lodge  whom  your 
majesty  had  executed  a  year  ago." 

"  Why  did  you  not  come  and  tell  me  this  at  once  ?  " 

"  Because  I  was  not  yet  sure  of  my  man." 

«  And  now  ?  " 

"  Now  I  am  certain." 

"  Did  you  see  him  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  hid  in  a  wine  merchant's  opposite.  I  saw  him 
enter  the  same  building  as  on  the  previous  night.  Then  as 
Madame  de  Sauve  was  late  he  imprudently  put  his  face  against 
the  window  pane  on  the  first  floor,  and  I  had  no  further  doubt. 
Besides,  a  few  minutes  later  Madame  de  Sauve  came  and  again 
joined  him." 

"  Do  you  think  that  like  last  night  they  will  remain  until 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  ?  " 

"  It  is  probable." 

"  Where  is  the  house  ?  " 

"  Near  the  Croix  des  Petits  Champs,  close  to  Saint  HonoreV' 

"  Very  good,"  said  Catharine.  "  Does  Monsieur  de  Sauve 
know  your  handwriting  ?  " 


558  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  No." 

"  Sit  down,  then,  and  write." 

Maurevel  took  a  pen  and  obeyed. 

"  I  am  ready,  madame,"  said  he. 

Catharine  dictated : 

"  While  the  Baron  de  Sauve  is  on  service  at  the  Louvre  the 
baroness  is  with  one  of  her  friends,  in  a  house  near  the  Croix 
des  Petit  Champs,  close  to  Saint  Honore.  The  Baron  de 
Saure  will  know  the  house  by  a  red  cross  on  the  wall" 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Maurevel. 

"Make  a  copy  of  the  letter,"  said  Catharine. 

Maurevel  obeyed  in  silence. 

"Now,"  said  the  queen,  "have  one  of  these  letters  taken  by 
a  clever  man  to  the  Baron  de  Sauve,  and  drop  the  other  in  the 
corridors  of  the  Louvre." 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  said  Maurevel. 

Catharine  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  You  do  not  understand  that  a  husband  who  receives  such  a 
note  will  be  angry  ?  " 

"  But  the  King  of  Navarre  never  used  to  be  angry, 
madanie." 

"  It  is  not  always  with  a  king  as  with  a  simple  courtier. 
Besides,  if  De  Sauve  is  not  angry  you  can  be  so  for  him." 

u  I ! " 

"  Yes.  You  can  take  four  men  or  six,  if  necessary,  put  on 
a  mask,  break  down  the  door,  as  if  you  had  been  sent  by  the 
baron,  surprise  the  lovers  in  the  midst  of  their  tete  a  tete,  and 
strike  your  blow  in  the  name  of  the  King.  The  next  day 
the  note  dropped  in  the  corridor  of  the  Louvre,  and  picked  up 
by  some  kind  friend  who  already  will  have  circulated  the 
news,  will  prove  that  it  was  the  husband  who  had  avenged 
himself.  Only  by  chance,  the  gallant  happened  to  be  King  of 
Navarre ;  but  who  would  have  imagined  that,  when  every  one 
thought  him  at  Pau." 

Maurevel  looked  at  Catharine  in  admiration,  bowed,  and 
withdrew. 

As  Maurevel  left  the  Hotel  de  Soissons  Madame  de  Sauve 
entered  the  small  house  near  the  Croix  des  Petits  Champs. 

Henry  was  waiting  for  her  at  the  half-open  door. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  her  on  the  stairs,  he  said : 

"  You  have  not  been  followed,  have  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,"  said  Charlotte,  "  at  least,  not  so  far  as  I  know." 


EPILOGUE.  559 

"  I  think  I  have  been,"  said  Henry,  "  not  only  to-night  hut 
last  evening  as  well." 

"  Oh !  my  God !  "  said  Charlotte,  "  you  frighten  me,  sire  !  If 
this  meeting  between  you  and  one  of  your  old  friends  should 
bring  any  harm  to  you  I  should  be  inconsolable." 

"  Do  not  worry,  my  love,"  said  the  Bearnais,  "  we  have 
three  swordsmen  watching  in  the  darkness." 

"  Three  are  very  few,  sire." 

"  Three  are  enough  when  they  are  De  Mouy,  Saucourt,  and 
Barthelemy." 

"  Is  De  Mouy  in  Paris  with  you  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  He  dared  to  return  to  the  capital  ?  Has  he,  then,  like  you, 
some  poor  woman  who  is  in  love  with  him  ?  " 

"  No,  but  he  has  an  enemy  whose  death  he  has  sworn  to  have. 
Nothing  but  hate,  my  dear,  commits  as  many  follies  as  love." 

"  Thank  you,  sire." 

"  Oh,"  said  Henry,  "  I  do  not  refer  to  our  present  follies.  I 
mean  those  of  the  past  and  the  future.  But  do  not  let  us  dis- 
cuss this  ;  we  have  no  time  to  lose." 

"  You  still  plan  to  leave  Paris  ?  " 

"  To-night." 

"  Are  your  affairs  which  brought  you  back  to  Paris  fin- 
ished ?  " 

"  I  came  back  only  to  see  you." 

"  Gascon  ! " 

"  Venire  saint  gris  !  My  love,  that  is  true  ;  but  let  us  put 
aside  such  thoughts.  I  have  still  two  or  three  hours  in  which 
to  be  happy ;  then  farewell  forever." 

"  Ah  !  sire,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  nothing  is  forever 
except  my  love." 

Henry  had  just  said  that  he  had  no  time  for  discussion ; 
therefore  he  did  not  discuss  this  point.  He  believed,  or  sceptic 
that  he  was,  he  pretended  to  believe. 

As  the  King  of  Navarre  had  said,  De  Mouy  and  his  two 
companions  were  hidden  near  by. 

It  was  arranged  that  Henry  should  leave  the  small  house  at 
midnight  instead  of  at  three  o'clock ;  that,  as  on  the  previous 
night,  they  would  escort  Madame  de  Sauve  back  to  the  Louvre, 
and  from  there  they  would  go  to  the  Rue  de  la  Cerisaie,  where 
Maurevel  lived. 

It  was  only  during  that  day  that  De  Mouy  had  been  sure  of 


560  MARGUERITE    DE    V ALOIS. 

his  enemy's  whereabouts.  The  men  had  been  on  guard  about 
an  hour  when  they  perceived  a  man,  followed  at  a  few  feet  by 
five  others,  who  drew  near  to  the  door  of  the  small  house  and 
tried  several  keys  successively.  De  Mouy,  concealed  within 
the  shelter  of  a  neighboring  door,  made  one  bound  from  his 
hiding-place,  and  seized  the  man  by  the  arm. 

"  One  moment,"  said  he;  "  you  cannot  enter  there." 

The  man  sprang  back,  and  in  doing  so  his  hat  fell  off. 

"  De  Mouy  de  Saint  Phale !  "  he  cried. 

"  Maurevel !  "  thundered  the  Huguenot,  raising  his  sword. 
"  I  sought  you,  and  you  have  come  to  me.  Thanks  ! " 

But  his  anger  did  not  make  him  forget  Henry,  and  turning 
to  the  window  he  whistled  in  the  manner  of  the  Bearnais 
shepherds. 

"  That  will  be  enough,"  said  he  to  Saucourt.  "  Now,  then, 
murderer  ! " 

And  he  sprang  towards  Maurevel. 

The  latter  had  had  time  to  draw  a  pistol  from  his  belt. 

"  Ah !  now,"  said  the  King's  Slayer,  aiming  at  the  young 
man,  "  I  think  you  are  a  dead  man  !  " 

He  fired.  De  Mouy  jumped  to  one  side  and  the  ball  passed 
by  without  touching  him. 

"  It  is  my  turn  now  !  "  cried  the  young  man. 

And  he  dealt  Maurevel  such  a  violent  thrust  with  his  sword 
that,  although  the  blade  had  to  encounter  his  buff  belt,  the 
sharp  point  pierced  this  obstacle  and  sank  into  the  flesh. 

The  assassin  gave  a  terrible  cry  of  pain ;  whereupon  the 
soldiers  with  him,  thinking  he  was  killed,  fled  in  alarm  down 
the  Rue  Saint  Honore. 

Maurevel  was  not  brave.  Seeing  himself  abandoned  by  his 
followers,  and  having  to  face  an  adversary  like  De  Mouy,  he 
strove  to  escape,  and  ran  after  the  guard,  shouting,  "  help ! 
help  ! " 

De  Mouy,  Saucourt,  and  Barthelemy,  carried  away  by  their 
ardor,  pursued  him.  As  they  entered  the  Rue  de  Grenelle, 
which  they  had  taken  as  a  short  cut,  a  window  opened  and  a 
man  sprang  out  from  the  first  floor,  landing  on  the  ground  lately 
wet  by  the  rain. 

It  was  Henry. 

De  Mouy's  whistle  had  warned  him  of  some  danger  and  the 
pistol-shot  had  showed  him  that  the  danger  was  great,  and  had 
drawn  him  to  the  aid  of  his  friends. 


EPILOGUE.  561 

Energetic  and  vigorous,  he  dashed  after  them,  sword  in  hand. 

A  cry  guided  him ;  it  came  from  the  Barrier  des  Sergents. 
It  was  Maurevel,  who  being  hard  pressed  by  De  Mouy  was  call- 
ing a  second  time  for  help  from  his  men  who  had  run  away. 

Maurevel  had  to  turn  or  be  run  through  the  back  ;  he  turned, 
therefore,  and,  meeting  his  enemy's  steel,  gave  him  back  so 
skilful  a  thrust  that  the  scarf  of  the  latter  was  cut  through. 
But  De  Mouy  at  once  lunged.  The  sword  again  sank  into  the 
flesh  it  had  already  broken,  and  a  second  jet  of  blood  spurted 
from  a  second  wound. 

"  At  him  !  "  cried  Henry,  coming  up.  "  Quick,  quick,  De 
Mouy  !  " 

De  Mouy  needed  no  encouragement. 

Again  he  charged  at  Maurevel ;  but  the  latter  had  not  waited. 

Pressing  his  left  hand  over  his  wound,  he  again  took  to 
flight. 

"  Kill  him  !  Quick  !  Kill  him  !  "  cried  the  king,  "  here  are 
the  soldiers,  and  the  despair  of  cowards  is  of  no  moment  to 
the  brave." 

Maurevel,  who  was  well  nigh  exhausted,  whose  every  breath 
caused  a  bloody  perspiration,  fell  down;  but  almost  imme- 
diately he  rose  again,  and  turning  on  one  knee  presented  the 
point  of  his  sword  to  De  Mouy. 

"  Friends  !  Friends  !  "  cried  Maurevel.  "  There  are  only 
two.  Fire  at  them  !  Fire  !  " 

Saucourt  and  Barthelemy  had  gone  in  pursuit  of  the  other 
soldiers,  down  the  Rue  des  Poulies,  and  the  king  and 
De  Mouy  were  alone  with  the  four  men. 

"  Fire ! "  cried  Maurevel  again,  while  one  of  the  soldiers 
levelled  his  gun. 

"  Yes,  but  first,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  die,  traitor,  murderer, 
assassin  !  "  and  seizing  Maurevel's  sword  with  one  hand,  with 
the  other  he  plunged  his  own  up  to  its  hilt  into  the  breast  of 
his  enemy,  with  such  force  that  he  nailed  him  to  the  earth. 

"  Take  care  !     Take  care  ! "  cried  Henry. 

De  Mouy  sprang  back,  leaving  his  sword  in  Maurevel's 
body,  just  as  a  soldier  was  in  the  act  of  firing  at  him. 

Henry  at  once  passed  his  sword  through  the  body  of  the 
soldier,  who  gave  a  cry  and  fell  by  the  side  of  Maurevel. 

The  two  others  took  to  flight. 

"  Come,  De  Mouy,  come  !  "  cried  Henry,  "  let  us  not  lose 
an  instant ;  if  we  are  recognized  it  will  be  all  over  with  us." 


562  MARGUERITE    DE    VALOIS. 

"  Wait,  sire.  Do  you  suppose  I  want  to  leave  my  sword  in 
the  body  of  this  wretch  ?  "  and  De  Mouy  approached  Maurevel, 
who  lay  apparently  without  sign  of  life. 

But  just  as  he  took  hold  of  his  sword,  which  was  run 
through  Maurevel's  body,  the  latter  raised  himself,  and  with 
the  gun  the  soldier  had  dropped  fired  directly  at  De  Mouy's 
breast. 

The  young  man  fell  without  a  cry.     He  was  killed  outright. 

Henry  rushed  at  Maurevel,  but  the  latter  had  fallen  again, 
and  the  king's  sword  pierced  only  a  dead  body. 

It  was  necessary  to  flee.  The  noise  had  attracted  a  large 
number  of  persons ;  the  night  watch  might  arrive  at  any 
moment.  Henry  looked  around  to  see  if  there  was  any  face 
he  knew,  and  gave  a  cry  of  delight  on  recognizing  La  Huriere. 

As  the  scene  had  occurred  at  the  foot  of  the  Croix  du 
Trahoir,  that  is,  opposite  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec,  our  old 
friend,  whose  naturally  gloomy  disposition  had  been  still  further 
saddened  since  the  death  of  La  Mole  and  Coconnas,  his  two 
favorite  lodgers,  had  left  his  furnaces  and  his  pans  in  the 
midst  of  his  preparations  for  the  King  of  Navarre's  supper, 
and  had  run  to  the  fight. 

"  My  dear  La  Huriere,  I  commend  De  Mouy  to  your  care, 
although  I  greatly  fear  nothing  can  be  done  for  him.  Take 
him  to  your  inn,  and  if  he  still  live,  spare  nothing.  Here  is 
my  purse.  As  to  the  other,  leave  him  in  the  gutter,  that  he 
may  die  like  a  dog." 

"  And  yourself  ?  "  said  La  Huriere. 

"  1  have  a  farewell  to  make.  I  must  hasten,  but  in  ten 
minutes  I  shall  be  with  you.  Have  my  horses  ready." 

Henry  immediately  set  out  towards  the  Croix  des  Petits 
Champs ;  but  as  he  turned  from  the  Rue  de  Grenelle  he 
stopped  in  terror. 

A  large  crowd  was  before  the  door. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Henry.  "  What  is  going  on 
in  the  house  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  "  answered  the  man  addressed,  "  a  terrible  affair,  mon- 
sieur. A  beautiful  young  woman  has  just  been  stabbed  by  her 
husband,  to  whom  a  note  had  been  given  informing  him  that 
his  wife  was  here  with  her  lover." 

"  And  the  husband  ?  "  cried  Henry. 

"Has  escaped." 

"  And  the  wife  ?  " 


EPILOGUE.  563 

"  She  is  in  the  house." 

"  Dead  ?  " 

"  Not  yet,  but,  thank  God,  there  is  scarcely  any  hope." 

"  Oh ! "  exclaimed  Henry,  "  I  am  accursed  indeed  !  "  and  he 
rushed  into  the  house. 

The  room  was  full  of  people  standing  around  a  bed  on  which 
lay  poor  Charlotte,  who  had  been  stabbed  twice. 

Her  husband,  who  had  hidden  his  jealousy  for  two  years, 
had  seized  this  opportunity  to  avenge  himself  on  her. 

"  Charlotte  !  Charlotte  ! "  cried  Henry,  pushing  through  the 
crowd  and  falling  on  his  knees  before  the  bed. 

Charlotte  opened  her  beautiful  eyes,  already  veiled  by 
death,  and  uttered  a  cry  which  caused  the  blood  to  flow  afresh 
from  her  two  wounds.  Making  an  effort  to  rise,  she  said : 

"  Oh !  I  well  knew  I  could  not  die  without  seeing  you 
again ! " 

And  as  if  she  had  waited  only  for  that  moment  to  return  to 
Henry  the  soul  he  had  so  loved,  she  pressed  her  lips  to  the 
King's  forehead,  again  whispered  for  a  last  time,  "  I  love 
you!"  and  fell  back  dead. 

Henry  could  not  remain  longer  without  risking  his  own  life. 
He  drew  his  dagger,  cut  a  lock  of  the  beautiful  blonde  hair 
which  he  had  so  often  loosened  that  he  might  admire  its  length, 
and  went  out  sobbing,  in  the  midst  of  the  tears  of  all  present, 
who  did  not  doubt  but  that  they  were  weeping  for  persons  of 
high  degree. 

"  Friend !  mistress  ! "  cried  Henry  in  despair  —  "  all  forsake 
me,  all  leave  me,  all  fail  me  at  once ! " 

"  Yes,  sire,"  said  a  man  in  a  low  tone,  who  had  left  the 
group  in  front  of  the  house,  and  who  had  followed  Henry  ; 
"  but  you  still  have  the  throne  !  " 

"  Rene  ! "  exclaimed  Henry. 

"  Yes,  sire,  Rene,  who  is  watching  over  you.  That  scoun- 
drel Maurevel  uttered  your  name  as  he  died.  It  is  known  you 
are  in  Paris ;  the  archers  are  hunting  for  you.  Flee  !  Flee  ! " 

"  And  you  say  that  I  shall  be  King,  Rene  ?    I,  a  fugitive  ?  " 

"  Look,  sire,"  said  the  Florentine,  pointing  to  a  brilliant 
star,  which  appeared  from  behind  the  folds  of  a  black  cloud, 
"  it  is  not  I  who  say  so,  but  the  star  ! " 

Henry  heaved  a  sigh,  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 

END. 


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